Activities

IV. Enlightenment And Economy Symposium
10-11 October 2008

The intellectual climate of the Enlightenment can be seen as one of the most important factors leading to the emergence and entrenchment of the capitalist system of production. The premises that individual enterprise and the rational choices of individuals - rather than central political authority -maximize capital accumulation and economic development and that a free market ensures that individual choices advance the public interest form the cornerstone of this new system of production.

The history of the development of capitalism is replete with examples of the clash between the will of central political authorities to shape economic decisions and the will of individuals to shape the economy with their own decisions. The fact that diverse combinations of these two alternatives are feasible has made it possible to apply different approaches to capital accumulation and economic development.

The development of capitalism in Turkey is an important example of this clash.The Turkish economy was constructed over a historical period during which contradictory approaches such as central decision - individual decision, command economy - market economy, planned development - market-based development and  economic protectionism - free trade were all applied.

Participants in the "Enlightenment and Economy Symposium" will examine historical and present aspects of the issues generated by this construction process. Within this framework, current topics under discussion will include the economic dimension of modernization in Turkey, the dynamics of the development of capitalism in Turkey and the adventure of economic liberalism in Turkey together with its reflection on politics.

Please click for the program.

III. Enlightenment Symposium

The Enlightenment and Citizenship - Modernization, Citizenship and Democratization in Turkey

April 11, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
April 12, 2008 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

A continuation of the previous Enlightenment Symposiums, this third symposium will be held April 11 and April 12, 2008, on the topic "The Enlightenment and Citizenship - Modernization, Citizenship and Democratization in Turkey."
Organized by Prof. Fuat Keyman from the Department of International Relations at Koç University, the symposium addresses "the concept of citizenship as legal status, identity and social practice."

The symposium will bring together academics from various universities and offer a critical survey of modernization and democratization history in Turkey. The discussion will center on a conception of "citizenship" that recognizes cultural plurality and differences, creates a common idiom and provides constitutional guarantee of basic rights and liberties.

Please click for the program.

Enlightenment and Law Symposium

From November 30 through December 1, the Ottoman Bank Museum (OBM) is a hosting a two-day symposium entitled Enlightenment and Modern Law: Contemporary Legal Issues and Law in Turkey. The event represents a continuation of last May's symposium about the past and present impact of Enlightenment philosophy on Turkey. Prof. Levent Köker, from the Department of International Relations at Gazi University curates the event and Prof. Çağlar Keyder, from the Department of Sociology at Boğaziçi University, will give the opening address. 

Taking as its focal point Turkey, who is going through its own particular historical experience in creating and setting up a modern system of law, the symposium aims to examine both the basic principles and institutions of modern law - arrived at through the contributions of Enlightenment philosophy - and the critiques they have drawn. Over these two days, leading Turkish academics will consider critiques of the positive (or state) law component in modern law, the link between law and democratic legitimacy, and legal issues in Turkey, especially where freedom of opinion is concerned.

Admission to the symposium is open to the public and free of charge but reservations are required.

Please click for the program.

Enlightenment Symposium
At The Ottoman Bank Museum

In association with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University, the Ottoman Bank Museum is organizing a symposium on May 11 and 12, to examine the past and present impact of Enlightenment philosophy on Turkey. During the symposium, a select team of scholars will address various aspects of the Enlightenment: its role in shaping political thought and art in Turkey from the Tanzimat to the present; the postmodern critique of Enlightenment philosophy; and the divergence between Enlightenment philosophy and multiculturalism and identity politics. With this critical analysis of the Enlightenment - Europe's common cultural denominator - the symposium aims to provide a theoretical framework for a discussion of the benefits and problems it brought about in Turkey.

Please click for the program.