Perspectives

Co-organized by Sabanc› University Gender and Women’s Studies Forum and Central European University, the conference looked at how war and political violence are remembered from the perspective of gender. The conference, supported by the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Turkey Representation, hosted 46 feminist academics as speakers or panelists, and 200 participants from 22 countries.

Alain de Halleux has a 30-year long career in journalism and directing. He worked in conflict zones and filmed a series of documentaries related to the rights of the Gypsies and nuclear energy. The narration in the documentary reflects the influence of his vast experience. Shown in Turkey, with the contributions of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Foundation Turkey Representation and the Green European Foundation, the film received very positive feedback from viewers.

As the debate about nuclear energy is framed alongside a discourse of “rights of nations”, I would propose to shift the notion in the debate towards the “interest of societies and people”. This might open ways to end the impasse in the discussion and to overcome the mental deadlock.

While the sovereign rulers in this area have applied cruelty to its full extent, they preferred that people forget, have them remain without memories through their policies. However, when a person is made to forget even one meaningful day in his/her life, her/his soul would be hurt. The powerful rulers prefer a policy to make people forget at the expense of hurting people’s souls, and consequently its history. These moments are not forgotten. It is thought that they are forgotten, but it is only in a deep dream state at the bottom of our soul, as long as it is not healed, it merely waits for the time to explode.

The relentless conflict between the “appointed” and “elected” that has left its mark on the last 10 years seems to favour the latter, but it is not over yet. After the military had to withdraw and was substituted by the judiciary, constitutional amendments, including essential reforms were introduced. These amendments targeting the “impartiality” of the judiciary are criticized with the claim that they impair the independence of the courts.

In the new model “health and well-being is a subject to be solved on one’s own.” Meanwhile, the responsibility of the state is just to create a system for the “diagnosis and treatment” of the emerging illnesses and to monitor and control the institutions under that system.

The 4+4+4 process draws a very pessimistic picture about the future of Turkey in terms of democracy and the transformation of the education system. Education, an area which interests everyone and which should be constructed on the basis of scientific findings, has witnessed a transformation within one month, which turned the whole system upside down, without any research or impact assessment processes.

Turkey’s over-engagement in the Syria issue is related mainly to its competition with Iran. This can be explained as “taking the initiative unnecessarily”; in other words, being over involved in an issue beyond the real purpose. However, another reason could be that in the Shiite-Sunni polarization, Turkey, backed by the Gulf countries and the USA against Iran, took on the mission to be the spokesperson and possibly the “striking power” of the Western world.

... the fault lines that Iran-Saudi Arabia, Iran-West, also Iran-Israel and, most importantly, the unnamed Turkey–Iran rivalry expresses settles on Syrian land. In addition to all this, Russia; who has the only sea base left in the Mediterranean, in the Tartus Harbour of this country, wants to return to Middle Eastern politics...

The life of seasonal agricultural workers can be explained by evaluating some of the stages of their work periods. The problems start with the high rates of unemployment in the home cities of the workers. Low employment opportunities and the unequal distribution of land in the rural areas of Southeast Anatolia considerably reduces the means of livelihood for its inhabitants.