Congress Topics

CONGRESS TOPICS

Organized under the theme of “Independence and Re-establishment within the Framework of Social Sciences” on the 100th anniversary of Izmir’s liberation, our congress focuses on the fields of humanities such as anthropology, archeology, geography, translation studies, linguistics, literature, philosophy, fine arts, folklore, psychology, art history, sociology. With its content that brings together various disciplines, our congress aims to enable scholars working in different fields of expertise to share their knowledge, opinions and evaluations in order to perform an interdisciplinary perspective.

In terms of Archeology, the aim is to discuss the phenomenon of “independence” in a framework that includes sub-titles such as independence movements, uprisings, imperial policies, colonialism, mass mobilization, and cultural identity through archaeological and historical records. Regarding the theme of “re-establishment” in the title of the congress, a wide range of topics are considered to be discussed such as re-established states, political organizations, relocated/re-established cities, the role of geographical changes in the displacement of settlements, city-states expanding themselves in distant lands as a result of colonial movements, transformations of architectural structures and re-use practices in ancient architecture.

The most distinctive aspect of philosophy is the fact that it manifests itself as an independent form of thinking liberated from myths and dogmas. The independence and reconstruction theme in philosophy is closely related to the concept of freedom and it concerns individual’s investigation of existential, artistic, moral and political freedom and the ways to attain the latter. In the scope of this congress, presentations about various philosophers’ thoughts concerning freedom and the ways in which philosophy has shaped the world we reside will take place. To trace the trails of philosophy in the construction process of the modern world in which freedom of thought is crucial, we are pleased to invite you and your valuable studies to our congress.

In relation with the discipline of Psychology, psychological independence, defined as freedom from the influence or control of other individuals and groups, is an important phenomenon in terms of individuation, development, creativity and survival. This concept, which has functional, attitudinal, emotional and conflictual sub-dimensions, is closely related to many of the psychological processes such as autonomy, separation, socialization, and self-development. Within the scope of the congress, researches of scientists working in the field of psychology on psychological independence and related concepts will be included.

Sociology has dealt with all sorts of human relations from different aspects since the day it was founded as a scientific discipline, social breaks that have occurred in the historical process have created political, economic, and cultural effects on the people and social structure. Turkish modernisation process, which gained momentum with the full independence gained after the War of Independence and the proclamation of the Republic, has transformed many social institutions from economy to politics, from education to daily life. This transformation and re-establishment process has reconstructed the daily life practices of institutions, groups and individuals that make up the social structure. The process, which restarts every day with the effect of local and global dynamics, can sometimes be painful and conflicting. Hence identifying and studying these conflict areas is one of the main purposes of sociology. While these transformations were experienced in Turkey, the intense digitalisation, informalisation, liberalisation, and global economic, political, and cultural crises experienced in the globalisation process necessitated societies to rebuild themselves in accordance with this new world order and adapt to this process. One of the main goals of the congress is to deal with ‘independence and re-establishment’ worldwide and in Turkey through various sub-branches of sociology such as work, economy, family, education, and health.

In the Historical perspective, Izmir is an important port city with its history, culture and heritage, After the Armistice of Mudros, it was occupied on May 15, 1919, contrary to international law. The Turkish nation did not accept captivity and occupation, hence started a total struggle with the occupation of Izmir. Izmir is the last territory of the liberation struggle under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha. The city is the symbol of independence and liberation, where the national struggle is crowned. As Gazi Mustafa Kemal stated, “İzmir, of course, could not be left in the hands of the enemies and indeed it was not left”.

In the context of Turkish and World Literatures, the issues of independence, sovereignty, liberation and establishment can be examined in a deachronic and synchronous way by analyzing literary works of various periods. These issues, which can be examined in a wide range from epic works to the literary works of modernity, are discussed especially in the context of the liberation of Izmir and correspond to the press, publishing activities and literati in Izmir. Considering the development processes of the Turkish language, the language revolutions and language studies that occurred after independence are also evaluated within the topics of our congress. Theoretical and practical papers in the field of language, literature and culture exploring the theme of the congress are welcome.

 

We hope to welcome you at the III. International Humanities Congress.

Regards

Congress President: Prof. Dr. Bedriye TUNÇSİPER, Rector

and

The Organizing Committee