At a time when Turkey is struggling for its secular identity, resisting the influence of ISIS, and finding itself at the heart of the European refugee crisis, accomplished Turkish playwright Ozen Yula offers a deep, artistic portrait of the country and its culture. Yula, whose work focuses on marginalized individuals within oppressive social systems, has a lot to say about the problems facing global democracies--issues like failures in the social contract, human rights conflicts, territorial security, religious strife, and nationalism.

Unofficial Roxelana is a collection of Yula's...