открытое письмо в поддержку студентов Босфорского университета в Стамбуле
Максим Федотов
От: Turkic Plus Workshop <tu.plus....@gmail.com>
Date: ср, 3 мар. 2021 г. в 00:38
Subject: An Appeal for Solidarity
To: Turkic Plus Workshop <tu.plus....@gmail.com>
Dear TU+ Participants,
Firstly, we want to thank you all for joining us for the 6th Workshop on Turkic languages, and languages in contact with Turkic. We believe that it was a very fruitful workshop, with lots of important and insightful contributions to the field.
As you may recall, on the last day of the conference, in our business meeting, we discussed a very serious issue that has been affecting many of the members of our community, namely the crisis at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. You may have heard of the situation through the news or from colleagues, but to summarise briefly: on Jan. 1, 2021, the Turkish president appointed a new, wildly unqualified rector to the university without consultation, who then proceeded to open new faculties staffed by his political allies. Since then, the faculty, students and friends of the university have protested the appointment, receiving in return immense escalations of violence from police, including the detention and abuse of students. A more detailed summary of the situation can be found in a letter from the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle Eastern Studies Association: https://mesana.org/advocacy/committee-on-academic-freedom/2021/01/07/students-detained-after-protesting-appointment-of-new-rector-of-bogazici-university
Throughout our workshop, in casual conversation, as well as in an open discussion during our business meeting, we heard about the struggles of students and faculty at Boğaziçi, about the blatant disregard for academic autonomy, and most worryingly, the violent response by the state to the justified resistance of members and friends of the university. An environment of coercion and fear is not one in which research, innovation, and academic brilliance can thrive. We are deeply saddened and worried for the academic community at Boğaziçi University, and stand in solidarity with the students, faculty, and friends of the school.
In our meeting, we discussed with our own community what possible responses may be available to us, especially as members of the broader scientific community. It was brought to our attention that since January, a letter entitled “Support Academic Freedom for Boğaziçi University Students and Faculty” has been circulating, receiving thousands of signatures, and endorsed by such prominent figures as Judith Butler and Noam Chomsky.
If you are able and willing to support the Boğaziçi community, there are several steps we encourage you to take:
Sign the letter mentioned above, which can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_m3StSsK4Zm8Rp54aBMey5fgrCnEfX6_cMV5knhIsjaTrBA/viewform?gxids=7628
Forward this message, or write your own to your own academic community, e.g. in your own department or faculty
Share this on social media, and ask for the public to endorse the letter
While we understand that there are limitations to actions like these, we also hope that greater awareness will lead to greater solidarity with those facing this difficult and terrifying situation.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out and discuss with us.
In Solidarity,
The TU+6 Organising Committee