TALK TURKEY CONFERENCE: RETHINKING LIFE SINCE GEZI
PRESENTED BY THE NEW SCHOOL’S HISTORICAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT


Friday, October 4, 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 5, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
RSVP at www.talkturkeyconference.com

Turkey

NEW YORK, October 1, 2013- In late May, a small protest against the destruction of Gezi Park in downtown Istanbul sparked massive demonstrations across Turkey. In order to reflect on the political, social, and economic consequences of these wide-spread public rallies, The New School for Social Research convenes leading scholars, activists, journalists, politicians, and artists to address critical questions facing Turkey and the broader region.

“The New School has a proud history of placing contemporary political issues under scholarly gaze from many angles and a great appreciation for respectful dissent,” said John VanderLippe, conference organizer and Turkish history and politics scholar at The New School for Social Research. “We hope to continue that tradition by organizing this conference in an open and democratic fashion, with careful thought to the variety of perspectives that reflect the realities of Turkish society and politics.”

As a way to further the conversation and explore avenues for new social developments, the conference will address issues pertaining to large scale urban and economic transformations, limitations to democratic participation, media censorship, restrictions faced by doctors and lawyers, the role of women and LGBT activists in the protests, medical and legal consequences of state brutality, and new forms of cultural and artistic expression of dissent. Finally, the symposium will reflect on Gezi in the context of Occupy Solidarity and alternative globalization movements.

Speakers at “Rethinking Life Since Gezi” include Sebahat Tuncel, member of the Turkish parliament (via Google Hangout); Eylem Delikanli, correspondent for BirGun; Seyla Benhabib, Eugene Mayer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Yale University; Mehmet Yüksel, representative of the Peace and Democracy Party in Turkey; DeDe Dunevant, Director of Communications for Physicians for Human Rights; Nidhi Srinivas, associate professor of non-profit management at The New School; and Luck Tran, artist and organizer for Occupy Wall Street.

The conference takes place at Kellen Auditorium at 66th 5th Avenue from 1:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 4 and at Wolff Conference Room at 6 East 16th Street (11th floor) from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 5. The event is free and open to the public, but participants must register and RSVP at http://www.talkturkeyconference.com/#!register/c1os3. For a full conference schedule, please visit the conference website.

The event will be live streamed on YouTube. Viewers will have the opportunity to pose questions in English, Turkish, French, and German via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube using the hashtags #TalkTurkey and #geziniyoruz.

Founded in 1919, The New School was born out of principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Committed to social engagement, The New School today remains in the vanguard of innovation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students challenging the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The New School welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and calendar of lectures, screenings, readings, and concerts. Through its online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence. Learn more at www.newschool.edu.


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