PRESS RELEASE
Sabanci University
May 25, 2005
To the Attention of the Public
The presidency of Bosphorus University that was to host the conference
`Ottoman Armenians at the End of Empire: Academic Responsibility and
Issues of Democracy’ has been forced to decide to postpone it. The
declaration of the Bosphorus University presidency notes that the
university was saddened to be confronted with `serious accusations’
because of this conference organized to provide `a context for
scientific discussion;’ criticizes the `expression of prejudices on
the contents of a conference that had not yet been actualized;’ and
conveys that by so doing, a condition and context harmful to academic
freedom have been created.
And these are indeed extremely serious issues. The universities in
Turkey can, as independent institutions, organize meetings on a
variety of topics; likewise, the various initiatives in science and
ways of thought can hold, under the roof of the university, meetings
around a perspective and platform that they themselves articulate.
Those who oppose these meetings can criticize them in one way or
another. But what is most important is the freedom to be able to hold
such meetings. In addition to being educational institutions, the
universities also serve as the guarantors of and as an umbrella for
free and creative discussions on topics that are of interest to the
country and the world. In the final analysis, they can contribute to
societal progress by virtue of their members’ total possession of the
freedom of research, thought and expression.
It is extremely distressing and dreadful that, in opposition to these
universal values that have also been assimilated in Turkey, the 25-27
May conference at Bosphorus University was brought, because of
prejudices and serious accusations, to the point of not being
actualized. Not only does this consequence seriously harm the
development of the freedom of thought, democracy and civil society,
but I worry that it will also become, in the future within the
international arena, a significant impediment to Turkey.
Professor Tosun Terzioglu
President
Sabanci University
>From Milliyet
25 May 2005:
PRESS RELEASE
Bosphorus University
`Bosphorus University: the aim is not to make a choice between two
opposing extremes’
Professors Selim Deringil and Edhem Eldem, faculty members of the
Bosphorus University history department organized a press conference
at the university because of the postponement of the conference on the
subject of `Ottoman Armenians at the End of Empire: Academic
Responsibility and Issues of Democracy.’
In relation to the postponed `Conference on the Armenian Question,’
professor Selim Deringil of Bosphorus University history department
said: `our aim is not to make a choice between two opposing and
irreconcilable extremes but to search for ways to present, as
objectively as possible, the thoughts, experiences and actions of
people who lived and died a century ago.’
Professor Edhem Eldem who spoke at the meeting reminded [those
present] that because of the developments that occurred yesterday, the
BU presidency took a decision to defer the conference it was going to
host. Professor Eldem stated that they, as Bosphorus University
members of the organizing committee, participated in the process that
led to the formulation of this decision which was undertaken with
great sorrow: `We want to note that we fully support our
administration on this decision. It is disturbing that a state
university that holds academic freedom above all else and that has
responsibly maintained this attitude up until this day has been
identified, with unjust accusations, as a target. The one that would
lose the most as a consequence of these developments will,
unfortunately, be Turkey.’ Professor Eldem then noted that the stand
that would be adopted in relation to this decision would emerge from
the joint discussions of the organizing and advisory committees of the
conference and added: `We think that, as such, it would be a mistake
to make a guess or an announcement. But in order to give you a sense
of the content of this conference which did not actualize, we think it
would be most appropriate for you to hear a small section from the
opening remarks my colleague Selim Deringil would have delivered had
there been a conference today.’
Professor Deringil also noted that this conference was convened for
the discussion of some topics that are not overtly researched perhaps
because it is preferred that they remain in the dark and said `I have
to clarify right away that the aim here is not engage in a legal
debate. The aim here is to see, hear, listen and understand, or at
least try to understand.’
Professor Deringil defended the view that this question was until now
debated in a one-sided manner both in Turkey and in Armenia as well as
among the Armenian communities identified as the diaspora and claimed
that the sides accused one another through a debate that centered
around the attributes of the 1915-1917 events [equipped] with totally
opposite figures, documents and strong assertions. Professor Deringil
noted the following: `Our aim is to leave this conflictual and barren
style aside to [instead] approach the issue in a much wider historical
context. It is for this reason that not only did we cover the
pre-1915 period but we also tried not to overlook the stages through
which the problem has evolved until today. It is for this reason that
those who participated in the conference have been careful to
scrutinize all types of documents and to comprehend all sorts of
explanations. Our aim is not to make a choice between two opposing
and irreconcilable extremes, but to search for ways to present, as
objectively as possible, the thoughts, experiences and actions of
people who lived and died a century ago. In so doing, we will
probably be subjected to criticisms from both sides. But perhaps this
is the unavoidable cost of rescuing history from politics.’ Stating
that the freedom of discussion in a country was the only road for
progress, Professor Deringil noted that such a discussion environment
had not been created until today. Deringil said `yet this country
deserves much better than this and has the knowledge and maturity to
achieve it.’ In the meanwhile, in front of the university, a group
comprising of students made a declaration in support of their
professors.
I now present you with two declarations, one made by the Council of
Higher Education (YOK) which is the governing body of the universities
in Turkey and the other by the Historical Foundation, a civil society
organization.
The text below is from the newspaper Milliyet dated 25 May 2005 and
represents the viewpoint of the Turkish Council of Higher Education:
`Armenian Conference’ Criticism from the Council of Higher Education:
it is unfortunate in the name of higher education’
In the declaration of the Council of Higher Education (YOK) regarding
the meeting on the subject `Ottoman Armenians at the End of Empire:
Academic Responsibility and Issues of Democracy’, it was noted that
`it is unfortunate for Turkish higher education that such formulations
can take place in university settings.’
In the declaration issued by YOK, it was expressed that one of the
basic functions of universities was to widely disseminate the
knowledge acquired from research.
The declaration, which noted that this dissemination could take place
through various activities such as meetings, conferences and
scientific publications, also declared that science necessitated, in
this process, the presence of all types of thought and viewpoints.
The declaration contained the following:
`Yet according to the May 17th 2005 press release of the organizing
committee of the conference planned for 25-27 May 2005 through the
joint endeavors of the faculty of the Bosphorus, Bilgi and Sabanci
Universities, the purpose of the conference was expressed as `it is
time for Turkey’s own academics and intellectuals to collectively
raise their voices that are different from the official theses and
present their contributions. These expressions and the declarations
of some members of the organizing committee that support such
expressions demonstrate that this conference does not allow space on
the topic for other thoughts and viewpoints. The opinion has been
reached that the aforementioned conference cannot be one of those
scientific conferences whose attributes have been discussed above. It
has [therefore] been evaluated that it is unfortunate for Turkish
higher education to have such formulations find a space for themselves
in university settings.’
The text below which was e-mailed to us is the press declaration of
the Historical Foundation, a civil society organization:
`The Declaration of the Turkish Historical Foundation: Our Country
Shall Overcome the Chauvinism and Bigotry of the 19th Century’
The cancellation of the Ottoman Armenians conference organized through
the collaboration of the Bilgi, Sabanci and Bosphorus Universities
that was to start today indicates, before all else, that Turkey has
suffered a very serious failure in the test of democracy.
Turkey’s hegemonic cadres have not been able to tolerate the
discussions, within a university [context] and among themselves, of a
group of our intellectuals who possess very different interpretations
on various dimensions of the Armenian issue and yet approach the topic
not through `national propaganda,’ but from the perspective of various
fields of expertise within the fields of history and the social
sciences.
Turkish chauvinist-nationalism that for many decades has isolated
Turkey and only contributed, in the international arena, to the gain
of Armenian nationalism has once again blocked peace, democracy and
mutual understanding in our country with a campaign of prejudiced
slander initiated at one of the most significant platforms of the test
of democracy, [namely] the Turkish National Assembly, by, on top of it
all, a deputy from the opposition [party].
Scientific meetings are not platforms for debate. And the only point
of debate regarding the Armenian problem is not [restricted to] the
terminology to be employed for the 1915 deportation. The claims of
those who have tried, through the taboos they have created till today,
to turn our universities into the vocational schools of a provincial
world, who have attempted to completely annihilate the opportunities
for a plurality of debates [to take place] in the fields of history
and the social sciences and with it the environment for scientific
research, that this conference only provides space for one thesis and
is intolerant to [the presence of] a multiplicity of perspectives are
not convincing.
That the vulgar insults and threats directed to Bosphorus University
which are contrary to the essence of the concept of a university have
been expressed by a government spokesman is not only an unacceptable
attitude against our scientific institutions and academic freedom, but
it is also, in terms of our intellectual life, a horrific development
that goes against both the government’s own program as well as its
national and international commitments.
As a civil society organization that for fourteen years has been
active in the field of history, we once again declare on this occasion
that we are in solidarity with our three universities that have been
subjected to unjust attacks during the preparation stage of a
scientific conference and with all the people of science who work on
topics that are considered taboos.
The Historical Foundation that takes a stand against religious, ethnic
and cultural discrimination and that works to transform history in
Turkey from a prose of self-congratulation to a scientific endeavor
will, in spite of all hindrances, continue to contribute to the
understanding of all significant processes of Turkish history through
scientific research and discussion, and will work jointly with all
individuals and organizations that share this vision.
Orhan Silier
Director of the Administrative Council