Exile Ece Temelkuran Explores Global Homelessness in New Book

Temelkuran's "Nation of Strangers" examines the moral, political and spiritual loss of home in the modern world.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 9:18am

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In her new book "Nation of Strangers", Turkish author and journalist Ece Temelkuran explores the global crisis of displacement, homelessness and the loss of moral, political and spiritual homes. Drawing on her own experience as an exile from Turkey, Temelkuran connects the stories of refugees, immigrants and the homeless to argue that many more of us are losing our sense of home in the modern world due to rising fascism, war, climate change and the threat of AI. The book, composed of letters to "strangers everywhere", will be published in multiple languages this spring.

Why it matters

Temelkuran's work highlights how the destabilization and "unhoming" of individuals and societies on a global scale is a defining crisis of our time, driven by a range of political, environmental and technological forces. Her perspective as an exile and her focus on rebuilding a sense of home through language and community offers an important counterpoint to narratives that emphasize division and displacement.

The details

In the book, Temelkuran describes how the loss of home is occurring "morally, politically and spiritually" as familiar political and social structures break down. She argues that even those who have not physically lost their homes are experiencing a "quiet collapse inside" as they mourn the future loss of what is beautiful and meaningful. Temelkuran sees language and the act of writing as a way to construct a new "cloud home" that is "owned by no one, yet everyone can belong." The book is structured as a series of letters to "strangers" around the world who share this experience of unhoming.

  • Temelkuran's new book "Nation of Strangers" will be published in multiple languages this spring of 2026.
  • Temelkuran spoke about the themes of her book in Krakow, Poland on October 24, 2025 and will speak again in Lodz, Poland the following day.

The players

Ece Temelkuran

A Turkish author, journalist and political exile who has written extensively about the rise of fascism and the global crisis of displacement. Her new book "Nation of Strangers" explores the moral, political and spiritual loss of home.

Hannah Arendt

A prominent 20th century philosopher and political theorist who has been a major influence on Temelkuran's work and life.

Yanis Varoufakis

A Greek economist and former finance minister who has praised Temelkuran's writing and life, saying she is "in serious danger of becoming the new Hannah Arendt".

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What they’re saying

“You and I have made our homes in language. We built books with the only indestructible material of humankind: words. We constructed them so that in them, we and the readers could make sense of the wuthering mundanity around us.”

— Ece Temelkuran, Author

“Today, the anxiety and fear we are experiencing as humanity stem from this destabilisation, this loss of home. Amidst the noise of global rupture, we are experiencing a quiet collapse inside each of us.”

— Ece Temelkuran, Author

What’s next

Temelkuran will continue speaking about the themes of her new book "Nation of Strangers" at events in Poland and other European countries in the coming months.

The takeaway

Temelkuran's work highlights how the global crisis of displacement, homelessness and the loss of moral, political and spiritual homes is a defining challenge of our time. Her perspective as an exile and her focus on rebuilding a sense of home through language and community offers an important counterpoint to narratives that emphasize division and displacement.