Yesim Kaptan: The Turkish Halal Market and Islamic Capitalism

In this presentation, theoretical and philosophical implications of the modern-postmodern debates will be articulated in terms of considering how the halal concept and practices of halal certified bodies have been problematized. By focusing on five regulatory bodies, including TSE, Gimdes, Dünya Helal Birliği (World Halal Union), Helalder, and Hedem, our research analyzes how these bodies can both promote and hinder the halal industry in Turkey in the age of postmodernism. We argue that these companies and their approach to the halal market and consumption articulate conditions of postmodernity through  Islamic marketing practices. We intend  to demonstrate the extent to which postmodernism and practices of halal certifying  bodies in the Turkish market have become  intertwined. 

Yeşim Kaptan is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Communication at Izmir University of Economics. She received her Ph.D. in Communication and Culture and Folklore and Ethnomusicology (double major) from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2010. She earned an M.A. in Folklore from Indiana University in 2004. She received a B.A. and an M.A. in Political Science and Public Administration at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey. She teaches media studies, advertising and consumer culture courses. Her research interests are transnational media, culture industries, neoliberal consumerism, globalization and nationalism in contemporary Turkey. She is currently Vice Dean of the Communication Faculty. She has published research in the International Journal of Communication, the Journal of Consumer Culture, The Global Media Journal, the Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, and various Turkish media journals.