2022 Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award Open for Submissions

The 2022 Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award, on the theme of The Future of Globalization: Return of the State?, includes a research prize of $25,000 and three essay awards of $10,000.

The Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award was established in 2005 by Sabancı University in Istanbul to encourage research into Turkish culture, society and politics, and to uphold distinguished examples of new research in order to focus intellectual attention on Turkey’s role in the contemporary world.

Each year, the award focuses on a specific topic or theme to recognise distinguished contributions to research and encourage early- and mid-career researchers to write and submit essays that explore and examine the theme or topic.

The awards include a Jury Prize of $25,000 to recognise distinguished contributions to research and three essay awards of $10,000.

The topic for the 2022 International Research Award is ‘The Future of Globalization: Return of the State?

The topic seeks to explore and examine how attitudes towards globalisation have changed, if globalisation is in retreat, and if the state-level of social and political control is making a comeback.

Globalization has transformed the relations between state, market, and society. At the turn of the century, protests, and movements against the financial and trade institutions of globalization have led scholars to study its broken promises, its winners and losers and the growing discontent.

Twenty years forward, we are facing a backlash against globalization beyond its economic dimension. Withdrawals from international and regional institutions, electoral successes of nationalist leaders, anti-immigrant sentiments are the new manifestations of this backlash against political and social globalization. Yet, we do live in a world of states.

The pandemic has once again revitalized this ongoing debate on whether the globalization is in retreat and whether we are witnessing the comeback of the state. If so, what kind of a state?

The complexities of the modern world have arguably made the structure and capabilities of the state ever more consequential for its society as well as the broader international society. Emergence of a truly multipolar world and the alternative models of state capitalism under authoritarian governments also call into question what kind of future awaits the globalization phenomenon.

Essays that address related topics are welcome.

The Jury Prize is given to an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to research within the annual theme. The essay prizes are for researchers under 45 years of age who submit an essay that makes general or specific contributions towards the theme.

Entries are submitted online via the awards website.

The deadline for entries for the 2022 award is 14 January 2022.

(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)