Kurds Beyond Borders: Transforming Spaces and Identities

Date: October 25, 2014 Saturday
Time: 9.00-17.30
Place: santralistanbul Campus, E3-101

The conference is organized by İstanbul Bilgi University Department of International Relations.

PROGRAM:

09:00-09:15       OPENING SPEECHES 
Remzi Sanver (Rector, İstanbul Bilgi University)
Pınar Uyan Semerci (Head of Department of  International Relations, İstanbul Bilgi University)

09:15-10:45        1ST SESSION: HISTORY, SPACE, DIASPORA
Chair: Ayhan Kaya

Fuat Dündar 
Ethnic And Secterian 'Conflicts' and Forced Migrations in the Middle East: A Centennial Overview

Joost Jongerden 
Spatial Politics of Radical Democracy: Rethinking the Relations Between Place and People

Bahar Başer 
The Kurdish Diaspora in Europe and its Potential Contributions to the Peace 

11:00-12:30       2nd SESSION: THE ROJAVA EXPERIENCE: A QUEST FOR TRANSNATIONALISM
Chair: Gencer Özcan

Bayar Dosky 
The Kurds and the Middle East: From Being a Factor to an Actor

Thomas Schmidinger 
Rojava and its Interdependencies

Cuma Çiçek
Kurds in Turkey: Rojava, KRG, Internal and External Borders

14:00-15:30       3rd SESSION: TRANSFORMATION, PEACE, NEOLIBERALIZATION
Chair: Ömer Turan

Nesrin Uçarlar
The Missing Agenda of the Negotiation Process: Village Guard System as a Para-Military Structure

Ayşe Seda Yüksel 
Neoliberalization and the Changing Stakes of Local Politics: Local Businessmen Associations in Kurdistan

Arzu Yılmaz
The New Kurdish Identity and Nationalism of Kurdistan

 15:50:-17:30       4th SESSION: CLOSING PANEL
Chair: Pınar Uyan

Fehim Taştekin (Radikal)
Frederike Geerdink (Independent Journalist)
İrfan Aktan (Express)