The transdisciplinary research areas at IFEA are based on the smallest but powerful common denominator: the vast territory of Turkey and its languages. These cross-sectional themes—which partly define the team’s identity and specificity—are summarized below and are embodied in the research projects and scientific conferences included in the institute’s program.

Anatolian Heritage: Construction, Definition, Categorization, and Heritage Management Methods.

Making the Mediterranean: How is the Mediterranean perceived in Turkey? What underlies the sense of Mediterranean belonging? Do environmental or heritage issues contribute to the development of a Mediterranean consciousness?

Environment: Understanding the mechanisms of legitimation of major infrastructure projects (energy, transportation, etc.) initiated by the Turkish government, presented as the embodiment of the country’s technical and economic progress, and analyzing how these projects conflict with other forms of legitimation (conservation, protection, etc.).

Voices of the Anatolian Diasporas in France: Shared Memories and Trajectories: An IFI/IFEA collaboration covering the period 2013-2016. The objective is to demonstrate to a Turkish audience, through a series of meetings, the value of examining the Anatolian diaspora in France, a diverse group that cannot be reduced to the caricatures sometimes portrayed. The shared, often close, memories of France—this is our premise—can help reconstruct the more distant, shared Anatolian memories.