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SNLab develops projects with academia, public institutions and private industry in order to generate efficient networks that optimize interdisciplinary and creative approaches to innovation. New media, the intersections between fine arts, science and technology, regeneration projects, environmental and sustainability issues, secular society and virtual reality environments are some of the areas explored. SNLab works on the conception and development of creative content for exhibitions and media projects, collaborative synergies and the management of interdisciplinary networks.

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Transculturalism

One of the reasons I moved to Istanbul is due to the fact that too many people, including too many academics, speak of Transculturalism, issues of migrations, otherization processes or a country’s democratic standards without having never been there or in that position.

In my opinion this superficial process of inquiry - nothing taken away from Alexis Charles Henri Clérel de Tocqueville’s methodological approach that is testament to his acumen - does nothing more than adding stereotypes and categorizations without understanding the richness and complexity of a debate within a country. In a recent academic conversation it was blurted out - strangely enough as a carefully worded statement from someone belonging to a minority group (could this be the week for ill-adviced comments?) - the idea that Turkish students are conditioned by the institutional system within which they live and therefore their analytical approach is somewhat ‘lower’ or ‘substandard’. This also implied that Universities’ approaches and academic standards in Turkey are lower and substandard, that the academic debate is stifled and that there is very little freedom within the country as a whole.

First of all, even without being a Turkish nationalist, since I am a secular globalized citizen with multiple nationalities, I was so offended and flabbergasted that I felt necessary to write this post.

Perhaps by being at Sabanci University and having had the freedom of teaching whatever subject or artist I wanted to, including Mapplethorpe or Darwinian evolutionary theories applied to the arts and cultural expressions - thereby stating that religions having defined themselves within multiculturalism as cultural form are subject to evolutionary processes and even extinction - I am taking for granted a free academic line of enquiry. These are subjects that would be problematic in quite a few of the American Colleges and Universities and I have not had any forms of censorship, innuendos or signals to alter my teaching.

My question is then: is Sabanci University a rare exception, or the only exception, in the Turkish horizon? Or am I, as a foreigner, someone who has some kind of privileged status?

I am not in a privileged position, as it seems to me that I am treated like everyone else, and actually I have colleagues that do work that is highly more important and socially relevant then mine. Ayse Gul Altinay at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sabanci University, is working on issues related to Hrant Dink, as witnessed by this BBC article.

This is an invitation to engage, understand and think, before throwing off the cuff comments construed on baseless information and second hand interpretations of the facts. Turkey has its political problems in dealing with the definition of the Armenian Genocide. But presenting the whole country as a desert of intellectual debate and engagement is nothing less than disinformation, prejudice and stereotype.

If you have time feel free to attend the Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop May 21-24, 2009. My question is how many university around the world would have the opportunity to freely discuss topics that go clearly against the governamental political lines and that try to develop inclusion and overcome a history of violence and confrontation?

Perhaps, without being Turkish or a nationalist, I could feel a tinge of pride in being a part of a true academic community at Sabanci University and of the work carried out in overcoming historical prejudices and stereotypes to construct a more just and inclusive society. 

Probably I shouldn’t be blurting about this, but I am very excited for this new international symposium titled Portraits of Transculturalism Istanbul.

This should be a great event with the participation of speakers from England, Austria and Turkey. What I am very happy about is that it will offer a great opportunity to develop a research agenda as well as collaborations on specific project or general thematic areas in digital fine arts and curatorial studies.

In these days I am finalizing the remaining details and soon it should appear in the event page of the website. For this I have to thank Emrah Kavlak, who has been amazing with his design and web implementation work. There is another person that I have to say thank you to and that is Ozden Sahin who puts up with my continuous stream of ideas. They are both two very professional research assistants.