The research and academic activities I have undertaken both in my capacity as Director of the
Postcolonial Studies Research and Application Center (PAMER) and in the field of Political Science
and International Relations do not align with the scope of the existing working groups.
Therefore, there is a need to establish a Postcolonial Studies Working Group.
The objectives, principal areas of activity and members of the working group are outlined below.
Objectives of the Working Group
Within the framework of postcolonial theory, which represents a critical perspective challenging
Western-centered Orientalist views, the working group aims to conduct studies and research across
a broad range of fields in both the social sciences and natural sciences, including international
relations, anthropology, sociology, religious studies and linguistics. By examining diverse systems
of thought, including classical international relations theories, Orientalism, feminism, Marxism and
modernization theories, through a postcolonial perspective, the working group seeks to contribute
to the development of alternative knowledge systems and approaches that challenge the Western
monopoly on knowledge production.
Principal Areas of Activity
- Academic activities: Organizing regular seminars, conferences, workshops, panels, educational
trips and visits.
- Social and policy-oriented activities: Organizing educational programs by drawing on the
contributions of civil society organizations, think tanks and similar institutions; conducting
forward-looking analyses and assessments of global, regional and local politics through the lens
of postcolonial critique.
- Contributing to Türkiye's democratization process: Participating in initiatives and projects
related to Türkiye's democratization process, the Terror-Free Türkiye initiative, and efforts to
draft a new national and civilian constitution.
- Within the framework of Türkiye's new security strategy, conducting political and legal analyses
of regional crises, particularly in Syria, Libya, Iraq and the Caucasus, with a view to examining
how Türkiye can play a more active role and how collective awareness and the capacity for
resistance against Western colonialism can be strengthened across the Islamic world.
