SMD Scientific Speaker Series: Sufism and Positive Psychology: The Authentic Happiness in Rumi’s Mesnevi
Speaker: Dr. Eylul Yalcinkaya
Date & Times: October 18 | 2:00pm ET (11:00am PT/6:00pm GMT)
Member Price: $
Non Member Price: $
Access: Open to all
Event Type: virtual
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Eylul Yalcinkaya, as the next inspiring speaker in our SMD Scientific Speaker Series, which provides a fascinating look at the ways science and spirituality intersect and inform one another across a variety of different perspectives, modalities, and traditions. Dr. Yalcinkaya is a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and an esteemed faculty member at Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies – an institution noted for pioneering Positive Psychology courses for undergraduates for over a decade.
Please join us on October 18th at 2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT/New York for a unique and deeply enriching exploration of “Sufism and Positive Psychology: The Authentic Happiness in Rumi’s Mesnevi.
In this exploration, Dr. Yalcinkaya, will introduce and guide us through her pioneering research on the interplay between Sufism and modernity, offering illuminating insight into how the timeless wisdom of Sufi mysticism can enhance our appreciation and practice of positive psychology’s core tenets.
Dr. Yalcinkaya’s Biography:
Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya, Ph.D., began her academic trajectory at Marmara University, earning her degree from the Faculty of Theology. Following this foundation, she dedicated over a decade to instructing Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge in various educational institutions. With a focus on Sufi studies, she achieved a master’s degree at Istanbul University with her thesis, “Ken’ân Rifâî’s Mesnevî Conversations.” She further expanded her horizons by attending Harvard University’s Extension School in 2013 for an additional master’s in Religious Studies. By 2015, Dr. Yalçınkaya joined the faculty at Üsküdar University’s Institute for Sufi Studies, an institution noted for pioneering Positive Psychology courses for undergraduates for over a decade. Concurrently, she diligently worked on her doctorate at Bursa Uludağ University’s Faculty of Theology, earning her Ph.D. in 2020 under the dual mentorship of Abdullah Kartal and Harvard’s Prof. Cemal Kafadar.
Having linguistic strengths in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, English, and Persian, Dr. Yalçınkaya’s research centers on the interplay between Sufism and modernity. One of her latest publications, “Key Concepts in Aḥmad al-Rifāʿi’s Understanding of Ṣūfism,” is featured in the Journal of the Institute for Sufi Studies. Currently, she collaborates as a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, focusing on postdoctoral research.
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