Ateş Uslu has been working as a faculty member since March 2014 in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Istanbul University. His research focuses on the history of political thought, political philosophy, political ideologies, and the relationship between art and politics.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Galatasaray University’s Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in 2005. During his undergraduate studies, he developed a strong interest in the intellectual history of Central and Eastern Europe and learned Hungarian to deepen his research in this field. Following graduation, he published a book on the early intellectual biography of Georg Lukács.
As a recipient of a scholarship from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uslu pursued a master’s degree in Modern Central European History at Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Pierre Renouvin Institute of Contemporary History, with a thesis on Mihály Károlyi’s French connections. During this time, he gained theoretical expertise in historical research methods and historiographical schools. His master’s thesis examined the relations between the Hungarian politician Mihály Károlyi and France over a decade (1908–1918). He conducted his research using unpublished primary sources housed in the archives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acquiring practical experience in archival studies.
Uslu completed his doctoral studies through a joint program between Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University and Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University, supported by scholarships from both the French and Hungarian governments. His doctoral dissertation titled Opera and Hungarian National Identity explored the formation of Hungarian national identity between the late 18th and late 19th centuries through operas. He analyzed operas performed in Hungary, critiques of these performances, and memoirs reflecting their cultural impact, thereby constructing a historical analysis of national identity formation. This work was awarded the Prix Hungarica 2011 for the best dissertation on a Hungarian subject completed at a French university.
He began his teaching career as a guest lecturer at Galatasaray University Department of Political Science and later became an assistant professor at Istanbul Aydın University Department of Political Science and International Relations. Between earning his doctorate (2010) and achieving the title of associate professor (2016), he taught courses on the history of political thought and political history at these two universities.
In 2014, he joined the Faculty of Political Science at Istanbul University, where he earned the title of Associate Professor in the field of political thought. During this period, he authored numerous articles on political ideologies of the 19th and 20th centuries, including liberalism, socialism, and feminism. His methodological framework was influenced by the Cambridge School of intellectual history, particularly the works of Quentin Skinner and J.G.A. Pocock. Emphasizing the broader context of historical debates rather than focusing solely on canonical thinkers, he examined both prominent and overlooked political philosophers, aiming to present a comprehensive picture. These efforts culminated in the publication of An Introduction to the History of Political Thought (2017), the first book in Turkish literature dedicated to the methodologies and schools of political thought history, which remains unique as of 2024.
In July-August 2018, Uslu was a visiting scholar at the Chair for Social Philosophy (Prof. Rahel Jaeggi) at Humboldt University in Berlin. During this research stay, he began work on his three-volume book A Social History of Political Thought. Published in 2021, this book integrates the Cambridge School’s contextual analysis with historical materialist approaches, as exemplified by historians like Neal Wood, while also engaging with the global turn in intellectual history. It represents the first comprehensive example of such a synthesis on a global scale.
He was promoted to full professor in 2023 and served as the Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations during the 2023-2024 academic year.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, he is a visiting researcher at the Chair for Social Philosophy at Humboldt University in Berlin. He is working on a sabbatical research project titled Political Implications of György Lukács’s Ontology of Social Being.
To summarize, Uslu’s academic journey reflects his evolving focus: from his undergraduate interest in Central European studies to gaining practical experience in historical research during his master’s studies, linking intellectual and cultural history with social history during his doctoral research, and finally, developing a methodological framework for the history of political thought.