Location: Kellen Auditorium, New School

Friday, October 4

Welcoming Address by William Milberg, Dean of the New School for Social Research

1:00 - 1:10

Introduction by John VanderLippe

1:10 - 1:20

The Peace Process in Turkey and Gezi

1:30 - 3:00

The events around Gezi Park started in the midsts of the Peace Process negotiations. This panel addresses the political and social implications of Gezi for the Peace Process. Did Gezi change the dynamics between negotiating parties? What was the impact of state violence and media self-censorship around Gezi on the perception of the Kurdish issue? These questions will be the starting point of a debate concerning the current state of the Kurdish issue and its future.

Moderator:

Zeynep Türkyılmaz, Dartmouth College 

Speakers:

Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Member of the Parliament in Turkey (via Google Hangout)

Abdullah Demirbaş, Mayor of Sur District in Diyarbakir

Mehmet Yüksel, Washington D.C. Representative of the Peace and Democracy Party in Turkey

Human Rights Violations during Gezi Protests

3:10 - 4:20

The Turkish government has responded to the mass protests that were initiated at Gezi Park with excessive use of tear gas and police violence that resulted in serious injuries and casualties. This panel will discuss the unlawful acts of the riot police against protesters, medical personnel and lawyers in reference to Turkish and international human rights law. In addition, the panel will discuss the alleged claims of crimes against humanity within the framework of international criminal law.

Moderator:

M. Arda Beskardes, Attorney-at-law

Speakers:

Jeanne Mirer, International Association of Democratic Lawyers

Vesna Jaksic Lowe, Physicians for Human Rights

Kerem Gülay, Cornell Law School

Art, Artists, Cultural Production and Gezi Uprising

4:30 - 5:40

Over the past decade, the state-funded art sector has been operating under the continued threat of defunding. These fears have been exacerbated by a recent draft law that would dramatically limit the recognition, funding and outreach of different art forms performed in Turkey. Against this backdrop, artists have been protesting the government in the run up Gezi. During the events many artists were among the protesters and faced accusations from the government for  provoking civilian unrest and damaging moral values. This panel will discuss how Gezi, with its power to redefine the over-defined, has been inspiring and encouraging artists to gather and communicate with each other.

Moderator:

Fulya Peker, Theater Artist

Speakers:

Sündüz Haşar, Dramaturg (via pre-recorded video)

Nazım Hikmet Richard Dikbaş, Artist (via pre-recorded video)

Ceren Erdem, Curator

Burak Arikan, Artist

Video interviews by Civan Ozkanoglu and Burak Serin

Reception

5:50 - 6:30

Location: Wolff Conference Room, New School

Rethinking Gezi through Feminist and LGBT Perspectives

10:00 - 11:10

Feminist and LGBT movements in Turkey have long been addressing issues of social inequalities which have intensified throughout the AKP rule. From the beginning of the Gezi protests, women and LGBT activists became a major force of the resistance. This panel will address their protest experience and their prominence among Gezi protesters. The panelists will also critically discuss the body politics of the Turkish state and the recurring theme of 'liberation'.

Moderator:

Nil Uzun, Rutgers University

Speakers:

Sebahat Tuncel, Member of the Parliament in Turkey (via Google Hangout)

Cihan Tekay, City University of New York

Zeyno Üstün, The New School

Bade Okçuoğlu, Bosphorus University (via Google Hangout)

Journalism Since Gezi

11:20-12:30

Media censorship and self-censorship in Turkey reached its peak during Gezi protests. Mainstream media turned a blind eye on this unprecedented civil uprising. In the absence of adequate media coverage,  a new wave of social media-based citizen journalism emerged as an alternative way of communication. This panel will address censorship and self-censorship in the mainstream media, how it necessitates alternative communication venues, especially in the context of social movements and what this implies for the future of traditional journalism.

Moderator:

Eylem Delikanlı, Correspondent of BirGun

Speakers:

Ahmet Şık, Journalist

Nina Ognianova, Committee to Protect Journalists

   Lunch Break

    12:30 - 2:00

The Political and Economic Future of Turkey

2:00 - 3:10

The political and economic transformations of Turkey during the AKP rule that bluntly manifest themselves in the urban setting of Istanbul have been key triggers of Gezi protests. These protests have kindled a public movement that is challenging the authoritarian neoliberalism of Prime Minister Erdogan more effectively than any other oppositional force to date. This occurs primarily through the formation of a new political culture unveiling the quasi-democratic character of his rule and the limited validity of the economic miracles suggested by his party. In this light, the panelists will discuss whether and how this new oppositional force might shape the political and economic future of the country.

Moderator:

Pınar Batur, Vassar College

Speakers:

Şeyla Benhabib, Yale University

Ümit Akçay, New York University

Ertuğ Tombuş, The New School

Discussant:

E. Ahmet Tonak, Bilgi University

Urban Democracy and Gezi

3:20 - 4:30

In recent years, urban issues such as the privatization of public space and the realization of urban renewal projects that ignore the demands of the local population have been at the heart of social unrest in Turkey. These have eventually led to the big wave of protests spreading from Gezi Park to the rest of the country. This panel will shed light on urban transformation in Turkey, the role played by the AKP government and the social response to these changes. Panelists will discuss the potential environmental and social consequences of ongoing urban renewal projects in reference to comparable international experiences.

Moderator:

Bert M. Azizoğlu, The New School

Speakers:

Esra Akcan, University of Illinois at Chicago

Neil Korostoff, Pennsylvania State University

Nidhi Srinivas, The New School

Occupy Solidarity and its Global Consequences

4:40 - 5:50

Multitudes around the world have been rising up against neoliberal economic policies and privatization of public and natural resources, in defense of their democratic rights. Although the local contexts differ from one another, the demands have been comparable. In this panel, we will seek to answer some fundamental questions about the form and nature of contemporary social movements in Turkey, Brazil and Greece and how they differ from their historical counterparts. We will also look at the unprecedented creativity in these protests and the formulation of a new patriotism defined by love for one another and the commons.

Moderator:

Hakan Topal, SUNY Purchase College

Speakers:

Michael Hardt, Duke University

Jeffrey Goldfarb, The New School

Despina Lalaki, New York University

Discussant:

Luck Tran, OWS

    Reception

     6:00 - ∞