Üsküdar Üniversitesi, speaking at the panel organized on the 5th anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt, founding rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that coups have very serious trauma effects and consequences in society. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who stated that July 15, like previous coups, caused social traumas, said that society should get rid of this psychology of grief and trauma. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “We have a culture of victory in our culture.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Coups have serious trauma effects in society”
On the anniversary of the coup attempt that took place on July 15, 2016, the 15 July Panel on the Dilemma of Grief and Victory was held. The July 15 coup attempt was evaluated from the perspectives of grief and victory in the panel, which was held online as part of pandemic measures.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “July 15 has many dimensions”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that July 15 will be considered and discussed as an uprising with many question marks in our history, saying, “When evaluating this, it is essential not to assess it from a single dimension. There is an individual dimension, a social psychology dimension, a dimension within the military hierarchy. On the other hand, there is a dimension related to the political structure. All these dimensions should be addressed separately.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “The biggest trauma in an individual’s life is betrayal”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the role of past traumas in such a coup should be examined and known, saying, “What is the role of unresolved grief in this coup? I want to look at this coup from this perspective. Just as there are traumas in an individual’s life. The biggest trauma in an individual’s life is betrayal. According to the trauma scale, the death of a spouse comes second. The betrayal of a spouse comes first. Betrayal shakes people more than death. Betrayal is the most traumatizing event for a person. Coups are essentially acts of betrayal. They have serious trauma effects and trauma consequences in society.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “All military coups are social traumas”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, giving examples of coups since the Republic era, stated that many achievements were overturned with the May 27 coup, saying, “All military coups are traumas. Social traumas. All are military traumas. In this trauma, a generation became victims of May 27. The second major trauma was September 12. September 12 was also a trauma carried out with the claim of a communist revolution. This trauma also created victims. What happened? A 17-year-old child had their age raised and was executed. Nearly 50 people were executed during this period. Many of them were executed as one from the left, one from the right. Kenan Evren confessed. Trauma victims were formed here too. In the first, the democratic segment was hurt, in the second, the socialist segment was hurt. Victims emerged. The third coup that created trauma victims was the February 28 coup, also known as the postmodern coup. On February 28, 1500 people were removed from the armed forces by YAŞ decision. Over 10,000 people were forced to leave. Likewise, this was reflected in attire. There were those who could not receive university education. These also became victims of the coup of that period. While all these victims had emerged, the July 15 coup attempt occurred.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Centers of gravity changed on July 15”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the prevention of the July 15 coup attempt with the support of society was influenced by the accumulation of post-traumatic experience in society, saying, “The centers of gravity had changed. In previous coups, the centers of gravity were TRT and Ankara Radio. When these were occupied, all broadcasts were stopped. Here, the center of gravity was social media, communication areas. Those attempting the coup could not control these. President Erdoğan reached out via social media, and because the centers of gravity shifted, the coup ended in this manner.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Religious NGOs should not be politicized, commercialized, or secularized”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also stated how the FETÖ structure, which sought to carry out the July 15 coup attempt, influenced its own masses, saying, “A group emerges that does not question, does not think, and obeys. There is also such an understanding of innocent imamate within FETÖ. This became the biggest lesson of July 15. The concept of 'cemaat' (community) should not be confused with 'cemaatçilik' (communalism/sectarianism). Cemaats are religious NGOs. Religious NGOs should not be politicized, commercialized, or secularized. You set out with the claim of a high subject like religion. You cannot buy the world by showing religion, you cannot do business, and you cannot gather politics by showing religion.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “We have a culture of victory in our culture”
Tarhan noted that there is a concept of chosen identity in the collective consciousness, saying, “Just as a person has their own consciousness and also a subconscious, there are actually unresolved traumas. Those unresolved traumas are actually the reason for a person’s current behaviors and complexes. A person chooses something to hold on to in life. The Ottoman Empire chose the conquest of Istanbul as its chosen identity. The conquest of Istanbul and the feeling of chosen victory it created played a big role in the growth of the Ottoman Empire as a great state. The Republic chose the War of Independence. This was a correct choice. The Republic was built upon it. As for the current July 15, we are choosing it as a chosen pain and cursing as a chosen identity, but this is not in our culture. We have a culture of victory in our culture. We called July 15 the Democracy Day. We need to present it as the nation showing awareness towards democracy.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “The July 15 coup attempt was different from other coups”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector's Advisor, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, reminded that Turkey has had many coups in its history, and noted that the July 15 coup attempt was different from previous coups. Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan stated that it was a special coup attempt where very heavy violence was used, the air force intensely participated in the coup system, and for the first time, the public took to the streets and confronted a group within its own army.
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “July 15 is a traumatic event for Turkish society”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan said, “The July 15 coup attempt, as it can naturally be evaluated as a very severe act of violence and a serious military uprising, is also a very traumatic event for Turkish society. Since traumas bring grief with them, we will evaluate both today. Because we are not just looking at the event from the perspective of nearly 250 people losing their lives. There are also other things that were lost. For example, trust in the army. In all conducted research, the armed forces emerged as the most trusted institution by the Turkish people, despite all these coup attempts. It had never been imagined that Turkish soldiers could point weapons at Turkish people. For the first time, we faced an army that fired upon the public, and this was broadcast live for the first time. It took place within a process watched by all of Turkey. Because for the first time, we are living in an environment with social media. Everyone watched all the events from there. The trauma reached the farthest corners of society.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “Objective organization of the armed forces and justice mechanism is important”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan said, “We see that distinctions like 'us and them' are not very effective, and that people you thought were 'one of us' can actually turn into the opposite. The July 15 coup was actually carried out by people the government considered 'one of us'. This also needs to be kept in mind. Therefore, it may not be possible to determine who belongs to whom. In this sense, it is very important that the armed forces and the justice mechanism are organized and shaped as objectively as possible, without favoring any side.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “Lessons should be learned from July 15, and trauma and grief must be overcome”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan stated that a very heavy price was paid during the July 15 process and noted that lessons should be learned from July 15 to establish an objective state structure. Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan said, “The identity of the Republic of Turkey is founded upon a story of victory. After the triumph of the War of Independence, it was symbolized by Lausanne. Subsequently, it was symbolized by Montreux. Turkey gradually strengthened the borders of the Republic of Turkey step by step until the period of the Second World War.” Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan emphasized that no state story, society story, or national identity story built on trauma can be sustained permanently, underscoring that trauma and grief are things that must be overcome and concluded.
The program was also broadcast live on Üsküdar Üniversitesi’s official YouTube channel. Various events were also organized at Üsküdar Üniversitesi on the anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt.