Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop 2012

New Forms of Social Protest 

Istanbul, May 24-26, 2012

Sabancı University in collaboration with Istanbul Policy Center, Hrant Dink Foundation, and Anadolu Kültür Despite turn-of-the-century assertions that we are at the “end of history”, and the seeming extinction of politics in the global neo-liberal environment, the last few years have witnessed an eruption of mass social unrest and bottom-up social action finding new ways of expression in terms of organization, strategy, and communication. From the “Arab Spring” countries to the countries of the “European South” in economic crisis, the Mediterranean basin has proven to be a regional hot spot for these manifestations. Moreover, these events coincide with and are galvanized by the increasingly digitally-linked and decentralized geopolitical environment of the 21st century.

In response to these developments, this year’s Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop focuses on new forms of social protest, with particular emphasis on Anatolia and neighboring regions.

We are seeking theoretical and practical insights to broaden our understanding of what is happening at the intersections of these social protests and new modes of being, ranging from individual acts of civil disobedience such as women driving automobiles in Saudi Arabia, or the ultimate sacrifice of the body in the case of a protestor’s self-immolation in Tunisia, to the public assembly strategies of mass demonstrations in Cairo and Madrid, the general strikes in Greece, and the “occupy” movements across the globe. Where do protest movements in Turkey stand in this context? How are all these acts of resistance shaped by the shifting realities of globalized and electronically networked societies? How are new tactics invented and old tactics transformed? What are the political goals and how are they situated historically?

Organizing Committee:
Ayşe Gül Altınay
Ateş Altınordu
Sibel Irzık
Ayşe Kadıoğlu
Gülayşe Koçak
Faik Kurtulmuş
Işık Özel
Mustafa Tağma