Lecture: Islamist Imaginations of Turkey Ottoman's Past by Prof. Kemal Silay

Virginia Tech Presents

A Free Public Lecture

by

Professor Kemal Silay
Professor of Central Eurasian Studies,
Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Chair Professor,
Director of the Turkish Studies Program at
Indiana University, Bloomington
http://php.indiana.edu/~ksilay/

ISLAMIST IMAGINATIONS OF TURKEY’S OTTOMAN PAST:
COUNTER-REVOLUTION THROUGH
CULTURE AND POLITICS

Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 5:00–7:00 pm
655 McBryde Hall

Sponsored by the Sociological Association at VT (SAV) with the support of the Department of Sociology; the Turkish Student Association at Virginia Tech; the Religious Studies Program; the Department of Science and Technology in Society; the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT); IDST; the International Studies Program; the Middle East Working Group, the Department of Political Science, the Institute of Turkish Studies at Georgetown University, and the Africana Studies Program

For more information:
Tugrul Keskin, tugrulk@vt.edu
Gary Wood, garywood@vt.edu

Kemal Silay is a leading scholar of Turkish Studies. Among his numerous publications are Nedim and the Poetics of the Ottoman Court: Medieval Inheritance and the Need for Change (Indiana, 1994); An Anthology of Turkish Literature (Indiana, 1996); Ahmedi’s History of the Kings of the Ottoman Lineage and Their Holy Raids against the Infidels (Harvard, 2004); On the Book of Handsome Ones: Same-Sex Discourse in Ottoman Court Literature (forthcoming); and Anatomy of a Folk Manuscript: The Hagiography of Abu al-Wafa (forthcoming).

the “Facebookification” of our lives

American Sociological Association

Contexts Magazine

Volume 7, Number 1, Winter 2008

Social networking Internet sites might
be doing more to drive us apart than
bring us together. At least that’s what
the Washington Post suggested as sum-
mer wound down and it took a look at
the “Facebookification” of our lives.
From the 1954 work of J.A. Barnes
to Columbia’s Duncan Watts’ Six Degrees:
The Science of a Connected Age, the
report spanned the sociological trajectory
behind the actual and electronic
networks that, throughout history, have
done everything from help us find jobs
and homes to read about the minutia of
our lives that we post to the Internet.
Perhaps, interviews with sociologists
suggested, these sites miss the
mark because we’re busy adding
“friends” to our network and not busy
networking with friends.
In the end, the Post asked how we
“prevent social networking sites from
becoming the death of social networking”
perhaps the fundamental question
of this new cultural form.

Call for Papers: Sociology of Islam and Muslims Societies, April 11-14, 2008 Richmond

Panel – Sociology of Islam and Muslims Societies

The 2008 Annual Meeting of the Southern Sociological Society

http://www.southernsociologicalsociety.org/

April 9-12, 2008, Richmond, Virginia - USA

Invitation for Panel Papers

Dear all,

At the Southern Sociological Society annual meeting last year there were five panels with 20 presentations on Islam, the Sociology of Islam, and Islamist Movements. This coming year, the annual meeting will take place on April 9-12, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia and we will be organizing panels on Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies.

Islam and Muslim societies are being increasingly studied by sociologists, particularly by those interested in how different Islamic groups are responding to globalization. In the current political, social and economic conflict between the West and Muslim Societies, Islam has entered the political arena as a manifestation of Muslims against Western-based capitalism and hegemony. In this context, religion has transformed from a belief system to an ideology of political resistance in both the mind and within the actions of Muslims. From Turkey to Indonesia, this conflict may be creating the unified Muslim identity—the Muslim Ummah— Islamist and social thinkers such as Sayyid Qutb and Abul A’la Mawdudi were promoting nearly a half a century ago. From the Danish and Swedish cartoon crisis to Islamophia, Muslims appear to be crafting a collective identity that transcends the old categories of tribe, community and nation-state. This ‘new’ identity now exists beyond the nation-state, both in the West and in Muslim-populated countries, and is reshaping the understanding of globalization by Muslims.

We are organizing two panels entitled, "Sociology of Islam and Muslims Societies," and welcome submissions related to but not limited to the following subjects:

• Islam, Modernity and Secularism
• Islamist Movements and Collective identity,
• Islam and Muslims in Europe and US
• The Middle Eastern Politics

The deadline for abstract paper submissions is: DECEMBER 12, 2007

Please send abstract to: sociologyofislam@vt.edu

Tugrul Keskin
tugrulk@vt.edu
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University


Stephen Poulson
poulsosc@jmu.edu
James Madison University


Kemal Silay
ksilay@indiana.edu
Indiana University

On Living by Nazim Hikmet

ON LIVING

Living is no laughing matter:
you must live with great seriousness
like a squirrel, for example-
I mean without looking for something beyond and above living,
I mean living must be your whole occupation.

Nazim Hikmet (RAN)
(1902, Selanic - June 3, 1963, Moscow)
Poet, playwright, novelist


THERE MUST BE SOMETHING

Is the sea as beautiful as this every day?
Does the sky look like this all the time?
Is this furniture, this window
always as lovely as this?

No
by God no,
There must be something behind this somewhere.

Orhan Veli Kanik

Translated by Bernard Lewis (1982)

War on Democracy Showing in UK cinemas

War on Democracy Showing in UK cinemas

'The War on Democracy' is John Pilger's first major film for the cinema - in a career that has produced more than 55 television documentaries. Set in Latin America and the US, it explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile.

"The film tells a universal story," says Pilger, "analysing and revealing, through vivid testimony, the story of great power behind its venerable myths. It allows us to understand the true nature of the so-called war on terror".

If you are in UK or around London, you must see this film, I think you will enjoy watching this documentary.

http://warondemocracy.net/

The Sociology of Islam discussion list at Virginia Tech University

Dear all,

I have created a listserve for scholars who may be interested in exchanging academic information related with Islam. You will find the information necessary to be a subscriber to this list. Please circulate this information widely.

The Sociology of Islam discussion list at Virginia Tech University is a new free professional and academic networking tool to encourage interaction between individuals & organizations involved in Islam/Sociology of Islam/Islamist Movements and related fields worldwide. Members and subscribers are encouraged to dialogue and share resources on books, articles, conferences, teaching, and other related purposes.


If you want to subscribe to the list, please send me an email:

tugrulk@vt.edu


Best to all,
--
Tugrul Keskin

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Department of Sociology
560 McBryde Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
http://www.vt.edu

Virginia Tech. Massacre

We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness ... We will prevail ...

-- Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist



I want to extend my deepest, sincerest, and most profound sympathies to the families of these victims ...

-- Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger



We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on. We are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech ...

-- Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist

Panel - Central Asian Studies in light of Imperialism: A Neo-Orientalist Approach within Western Academia

Panel - Central Asian Studies in light of Imperialism: A Neo-Orientalist Approach within Western Academia

The 2007 CESS conference at the University of Washington
October 18-21, 2007 in Seattle, Washington
http://cess.fas.harvard.edu/CESS_Conference.html


Dear all,

We are in the process of organizing a panel entitled: Central Asian Studies in light of Imperialism: A Neo-Orientalist Approach within Western Academia

In the work, Orientalism, Edward W. Said elaborates on the idea behind Middle Eastern studies in Western academia. Said is interested in questioning the discourse of Orientalists, and furthermore, claims that the actual purpose of Middle Eastern Studies is not academic, but rather a policy-oriented approach that facilitates imperialism and colonialism. In this context Said argues that Europeans referred to the Eastern world as the ‘Orient’, a term that has only a vague meaning. Today, the region historically known as Turkistan has similarly been renamed ‘Central Asia’ in the context of the Neo-Orientalist process in policy oriented academia. In this field, some of the so-called “scholars,” working with policy-based institutions such as think-tanks, governmental and “non governmental” entities are the forefront of this approach, within the framework of imperialism and exploitation. These institutions, including think-tanks and non-governmental interest groups operate as a bridge between academia and the policy-oriented world. Additionally, academia has become a facilitator of an exploitative process towards Turkistan. The same process has been observed in Middle Eastern Studies for over a half century.

Today, the best example of this Neo-Orientalist or Colonialist approach can be found within the discipline of Central Asian studies within the U.S., and its relation with think-tanks, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. Thus, academia has been losing its objectivity, transforming from C. Wright Mills’ conception of the sociological imagination, to a facilitator of imperialism. This is occurring through its implicit representation of political interests. We can see this destructive trend taking place within Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and Turkmen studies.

We welcome submissions related to Neo-Orientalism and Central Asian Studies, and also including the following:

• Neo-Orientalism and Central Asian Studies,
• Imperialism, think-tanks and Central Asia,
• Role of SOROS, National Democratic Institute, the Woodrow Wilson Center, Carnegie Endowment and US Helsinki Commission on Central Asia,
• Colorful revolutions and imperialism/exploitation of the market,
• Sultan Galiev and Imperialism in Turkistan

Deadline: APRIL 3, 2007

Please send abstract to: tugrulk@vt.edu or rhaija@vt.edu

Tugrul Keskin

Rammy Haija

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Department of Sociology

SSS 2007 Annual Meeting- Islam, the Sociology of Islam, and Islamist Movements

The 2007 Annual Meeting of the Southern Sociological Society

http://www.msstate.edu/org/sss/07Meet/Publish/

April 11-14, 2007, Atlanta, GA


"Islam, the Sociology of Islam, and Islamist Movements"


Organizers:

Tugrul Keskin keskintx@jmu.edu Virginia Tech. University
or
Dr. Dale Wimberley dale.wimberley@vt.edu Virginia Tech. University

FIRST PANEL: ISLAM, IMPERIALISM AND COLONIALISM

CHAIR -Dr. Dale Wimberley -Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Discussant -Dr. Kemal Silay -Indiana University, Bloomington

(1) Islam and Terrorism: Reason and Assessment

Dr. Mohamed El-Attar -Department of Sociology - Mississippi State University - USA

(2) The Traditional Islam versus Western Based Islam in the Framework of Transnational Movement: As a case of Fethullah Gulen “Islamist” Movement in Turkey

Tugrul Keskin -Sociology - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - USA

(3) Uncivilized Christianity, Decolonized Islam: Evading Conflict through Dialogue

Darrell Ezell -Graduate Institute for Theology & Religion - University of Birmingham - England

(4) The Local Contexts of Islam

Dr. Ejder Okumus - Dicle University - Divinity Faculty - Turkey

SECOND PANEL: ISLAM. MODERNITY AND CIVIL SOCIETY

CHAIR - Tugrul Keskin -Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Discussant - Dr. Stephen Poulson -James Madison University

(1) The Liberation Theology of Ali Shariati

David L. Reznik -Department of Sociology - University of Florida - USA

2) Possibilities of a more Plural Society

Salim Cevik - Political Science - Bilkent University - Turkey

(3) Islamic Civil Society

Jeremy Walton -Department of Anthropology - University of Chicago - USA

(4) Islam and the Problem of Participation in the Contemporary Situation

Dr. Ejder Okumus -Dicle University - Divinity Faculty - Turkey

THIRD PANEL: ISLAM THE MIDDLE EAST AND EURASIA

CHAIR - Dr. Dale Wimberley -Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Discussant - Dr. Birol Yesilada -Portland State University

(1) Islamic Dissent De/Remobilization: Egypt and Syria

Feriha PEREKLI -Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures - Indiana university-Bloomington USA

(2) Bedouin issues in both Israel/Palestine and in Egypt

Dr. Jesse Benjamin -Department of Sociology - Kennesaw State University - USA

(3) Reviving of Social Justice Concept in the Post-Modern World: An Islamic Alternative

Fuad Aliyev -Center of Economic Reforms - Baku, Azerbaijan Republic Azerbaijan

(4) Towards a Sociological Understanding of Islamophobia

Robert Heck -Sociology - University of Florida

FOURTH PANEL: ISLAM AND ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS

CHAIR - Dr. Michael Hughes - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Discussant - Dr. Stephen Poulson -James Madison University

(1) Islam and Modernity: Islamist Movements and the Politics of Position

Dr. Said Mentak -Department of English, Oujda - Morocco

(2) The Nation of Islam and Womanhood

Dr. Toni Y. Sims -Assistant Professor -Sociology & Anthropology Department - University of Louisiana Lafayette - USA

(3) Islamic Sociology in Iran

Dr. Taghi Azadarmaki -Department of Sociology - The University of Tehran - Iran

(4) Cartoons of Prophet Muhammad and the need for an Islamic “Protestantism”

Dr. Fadil Maloku -Globalization and Civilizations - University of Kosovo - Kosova

FIFTH PANEL : ISLAM AND POLITICS

CHAIR - Dr. Judith Blau -University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Discussant - Dr. Dale Wimberley -Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

(1) Student Engagement with Contemporary Islamic Social Movements through Existentialist Thought

Dylan Wittkower -Department of Philosophy - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - USA

(2) Islamic Authority and Knowledge in Europe: The case of Revolutionary Islamist Kaplan Community

Dr. Ahmet Yukleyen -Sociology and Anthropology Dept - University of Mississippi - USA

(3) The Use of Strategic Violence among Social Movements in Middle East:

Examples from Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine

Dr. Stephen Poulson -Department of Sociology & Anthropology - James Madison University - USA

(4) Headscarf: As a Political Symbol or As a Demand of Freedom?

Meryem Atlas and Merve Kutuk -Political Science - Bilgi University - Istanbul/Turkey

Panel – Islam, Sociology of Islam and Islamist Movements

The 2007 Annual Meeting of the Southern Sociological Society

http://www.msstate.edu/org/sss/07Meet/Publish/

April 11-14, 2007, Atlanta, GA

Invitation for Panel Papers

Today, Islam is a belief system that represents one-fifth
of the World’s population located from Morocco to Indonesia,
and one of the world’s fastest growing religions. The
contribution of Islam to world civilization is undeniable,
however in the last one hundreds years, Muslims have been
faced with economic underdevelopment, dictatorship and
antidemocratic regimes, and most importantly, modernity.
What does modernity mean for Muslims? Will there be an
Islamic renaissance? How about an Islamic reformation?

On the other hand, Islam is not just a religion, it is also
likely to manifest itself as a social, economic and political
structure; therefore, one must understand the socio-historical
background and origin of the Islamic belief system, as well as
its underpinning theoretical thinkers and Islamist Social Movements.

We would like to organize a panel entitled, "Islam, the Sociology
of Islam, and Islamist Movements" and we welcome submissions
related to the subject, but not limited to the following:

Islam and Modernity,
De-secularization Process in the Muslim Populated Countries,
Islamist Movements and Collective identity,
Islam/Alternative Globalization versus Western Based Weberian Capitalist Globalization
Islam and Imperialism/Colonialism/Orientalism


Deadline: DECEMBER 12, 2006


Please send abstract to:

Tugrul Keskin keskintx@jmu.edu James Madison University
or
Dr. Dale Wimberley dale.wimberley@vt.edu Virginia Tech. University

Central Eurasian Studies Society Seventh Annual Conference (2006)

Central Eurasian Studies Society

Seventh Annual Conference (2006)
September 28-October 1, 2006
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.


Friday, September 29, 9:00-10:45

Domestic Politics in the South Caucasus

CESS 2006 Program

Harutyunyan Arus Organizer Domestic Politics in the South Caucasus

Keskin Tugrul (Chair)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute &
State University and James Madison University, Virginia tugrulk(at)vt.edu

Ledsky C. Nelson (Discussant)
National Democratic Institute for
International Affairs Nelson(at)ndi.org

Harutyunyan Arus
Western Michigan University arus.harutyunyan(at)wmich.edu
Estimating National Identity via Positional Method: Comparing Party Manifestos and Policy Positions in Armenia from 1994-2005

Tuite Kevin
University of Montreal kj.tuite(at)umontreal.ca The Georgian banquet as sociopolitical microcosm

Bravo E. Karen
Indiana University kbravo(at)iupui.edu
Smoke, Mirrors and the Joker in the Pack? On Transitioning to Democracy and the Rule of Law in Post-Soviet Armenia

Khachatrian Haroutiun
Noyan Tapan Information and Analysis Center har(at)noyan-tapan.am
Economic Policy of South Caucasus Countries:Differences of Strategy


Saturday, September 30, 11:00-12:45
The Future of Uyghur Nationalism in Turkistan/Central Asia

Keskin Tugrul (Organizer)
Virginia Tech. University tugrulk(at)vt.edu
The Future of Uyghur Nationalism in Turkistan/Central Asia

Keskingoren Tugrul (Chair)
Virginia Tech. Univesity tugrulk(at)vt.edu


Wimberley Dale (Discussant)
Virginia Tech. University dale.wimberley(at)vt.edu

Dwyer Arienne M.
University of Kansas anthlinguist(at)ku.edu
Nationalism one word at a time: language purification in the Uyghur exile community

Thwaites Dilber Kahraman
The Australian National University dilber(at)thwaites.com.au or Women of Power in Uyghur Arts and Literature

Klimes Ondrej
Charles University ondrejklimes(at)email.cz
Creating Modern Uyghur Identity - Adoption of Soviet Ethnic Policy

Thum Rian R.
Harvard University thum(at)fas.harvard.edu
The Apaq Khoja Shrine in Uyghur Historical Discourse

Qana Massacre July 30, 2006

"Those that know the "real" history of the Middle East are not shocked with the recent tragic deaths of so many innocent people. They know that this episode, along with so many other atrocities will soon be forgotten. It is the nature of things that it is always the winners and the powerful that write the history. The weak and the conquered are always the ones that are blamed for all the misfortune that has befallen them."

"The Day after Qana Massacre: Who Cares?"

By Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar

Marxism and Gramsci

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)

Tugrul Keskin

Gramsci’s most notable contribution to Marxist theory is his conceptualization of hegemony. While he borrowed the term from Lenin and a number of other Russian Marxists, he formed it into a theoretical framework for examining and explaining relations of power in society. He conceptualized hegemony as domination by a combination of permission and coercion through ideological and political leadership, existing within the relationship between classes and other autonomous social forces. By autonomous social forces, he means the social forces that exist autonomously of economic relations, which is one of the fundamental divergent points from Marx.

For Gramsci, history can not simply be reduced to ‘economism’, which is term he used in reference to Marx’s economic determinism, or historical materialism. Marx’s reductionist argument systematic removes the socio-cultural, or national-popular, sphere of relations that exist outside of the realm of production. That is, the social forces that are related fundamentally to freedom, human rights, democracy, such as nationalism, patriotism, race, ethnic, and gender relations. These autonomous social relations can not be incorporated into ‘economism’ unless they are reduced to mere products of the economic, which should be apparent to most as an oversimplification. Rather, Gramsci suggests these cultural elements lie outside the realm of economic relations and, therefore, must be examined as an autonomous sphere of social relations. Whereas Marx examines exploitation, Gramsci examines coercion and consent as relations of power, which is engrained in everyday life.

A historic bloc arises when the hegemonic class creates strong alliances within and among different classes and social forces, i.e. a bloc of society. History can be observed through the transition of historic blocs, the rise and fall of hegemonic classes.

Hegemony, through relations of power, produces a hegemonic class. Once it becomes hegemonic, culminating in a historic bloc, it must strive to maintain its position. At different historical stages, the hegemony of the capitalist class can become unstable due to contradictions in the economic structure and/or loss its ideological influence among its alliances, which leads to, what Gramsci called, an organic crisis.

Gramsci makes a distinction between civil society, political society, and the State. The State is simply an apparatus of power, not necessarily the source of power. He appears to refer to the anatomical apparatus, that is, a group or system of organs that work together to perform a specific function. The State is not simply political society; rather it is the embodiment of political society. Civil society is the sphere of all social relations; where classes organize consent and hegemony; and the sphere where class and national-popular struggles take place.

In short, Gramsci dealt with hegemonic power and cultural theory within historical bloc. His emphasis is less materialistic than Marx argued in his theory. Exploring Gramsci’s conception of hegemony, civil society, and ideology provides an approach for examining the State as fundamentally unstable structure; therefore, civil society plays the vital role in history and social change should come bottom to top.

If you are interested in Gramsci's Marxist theory, please take a look at the following homepage International Gramsci Society

War in Iraq is a continuation of the past

War in Iraq is a continuation of the past

Tugrul Keskin

The Raging Liberal

In his article, the last exit from Iraq(1), Joel Rayburn argues that the US is not the first country who occupied Iraq and suggests that the US should take a lesson from the British experience. In the context of his analogy, unfortunately it is accurate information; however, he forgets to include a historical analysis of British colonialism at the beginning of this century and its relationship with the American occupation of Iraq. The American occupation of Iraq is a continuation of British colonialism and today is a reflection of the past. Iraq is an artificial state; it has an artificial national identity based on territoriality, as established under British imperialism. However, if we look at the other countries in the region, most of these countries are not different than Iraq. There is no difference between Iraq and Syria, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon. The differences between these countries are very similar to differences between Georgia and South Carolina or New York and Washington DC.

What are the causes of British colonialism and American occupation in Iraq? To me, there is a very simple answer to this question: divide and conquer; and exploit them as much as you can; make ethnic groups enemies to each other so that they can be used against each other and further exploited for Western-based capitalism.

The British occupied Iraq in order to weaken and divide the Ottoman Empire and to control its natural resources. Unfortunately, like everywhere else, some Arabs such as Sheik of Mecca and Medina, grand father of King Abdullah II of Jordan, Sharif Hussein Bin Ali(2) collaborated with the occupation forces and fought against their own people, like Iyad Allawi, the president of Iraq today. Lawrence of Arabia and the American colonel Noel were good friends of Hussein. However the first revolt against the Ottomans started in 1916 before the end of WWI, supported and financed by the British. There are many other small revolts that took place in the region between the late 1800 and 1938, such as the Kurdish revolts in 1886, 1924, 1929, 1936 and 1938; and other revolts such as that of the Greeks, Assyrians, Caldenians and Armenians (Christian minorities in the Ottoman territory) revolts.

Britain formed the Iraqi state in 1919 as a part of the League of Nations established under the British Mandate in 1920. Rayburn claims that the British occupation ended in 1932. Actually, the British occupation ended in 1947. In 1957, long before Saddam came to the power, General Kassim claimed that Kuwait is a part of Iraq as Saddam claimed in 1991; however, the British government warned General Kassim not to invade Kuwait. Soon after General Kassim’s claim, two important revolts erupted in Iraq, Kurdish revolt led by Molla Mustafa Barzani, the father of the current Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, between 1961-63 and 1968-70. These two revolts were also supported and financed by the US and British governments. In 1979, Molla Mustafa Barzani died at the Georgetown hospital. His personal doctor stayed in the US and became a member of the Iraqi National Council led by Chalabi. Today, they are playing a big role in the current puppet government in Iraq.

Occupation is a simple method of imperialism and puppet governments play a key role in the process. Today, the American occupation of Iraq destabilizes the entire region as the British did at the beginning of this century. This process of war is in this sense a continuation of the past. What they have done in Africa and South East Asia is not different than what they are doing in Iraq today. Unfortunately today they have power, but the future will not be bright for all of us in the Middle East. According to American politics, I don’t see any difference between Kerry and Bush, Democrats or Republicans; they are both supportive of the Iraqi occupation in different way, they both want to remove Saddam from power. We should remember Joseph Lieberman who is very progressive “according to some people.” He also supported the war in Iraq. Additionally, presidential candidate John Kerry said that I have a plan for Iraq. One must ask the question of Kerry, regarding what this plan is and involves; killing less people, or using more oil?

Some people argue that the Bush administration has no plan before the occupation of Iraq; therefore, these people are against the Bush administration and criticize him for this reason. If George W. Bush had a plan then does this legitimize the occupation? It is a silly argument; we are talking about the exploitation and enslavement of people in Iraq and they are talking about a strategic plan. I think we live in different dimensions.

Today, to answer the question of why the US is in Iraq, the answer is simple: the exploitation of the Middle East. They use beautiful words, such as democracy, freedom, and human rights; but to me, a person who is coming from the region, I cannot take their definitions of these concepts seriously. To me, democracy, freedom and human rights are equal to exploitation and colonialism, because their understanding and definition of these terms are different than what these terms really mean. In short, Rayburn claims that the US should stay longer In Iraq in order build a stable government and society In comparison to this perspective, I would say quit Mesopotamia, quit Iraq, quit the Middle East, and leave the people alone.

In order to understand the occupation of Iraq today, I would rather suggest to you that you read two articles rather than wasting your time with Joel Rayburn’s argument. The first one is Graham Fuller’s article, Redrawing the World’s Borders(3). And the second article is Daniel Byman’s article, Let Iraq Collapse(4). Imagination is a projection of imperialism. In short, the best description of this war is hidden in Nayna Jhaveri’s article, Petroimperialism: US Oil interests and the Iraq War(5). You will likely enjoy reading the articles, and will find clear examples with which to observe imperialism.


1)Joel Rayburn, The last exit from Iraq, Foreign Affairs, New York: Mar/Apr 2006.Vol.85, Iss. 2; pg. 29.

2)http://www.kingabdullah.jo/homepage.php

3)Graham Fuller, Redrawing the World’s Borders, The World Policy Journal, Spring 1997.

4)Daniel Byman, Let Iraq Collapse, The National Interest, Fall 1996.

5)Nayna Jhaveri, Petroimperialism: US Oil interests and the Iraq War, Antipode, 2004.

Panel-The Future of Uyghur Nationalism in Turkistan/Central Asia

The 2006 CESS conference at the University of Michigan http://cess.fas.harvard.edu/

Dear all,

We would like to organize a panel "The Future of Uyghur Nationalism in Turkistan (or Central Asia)" and we welcome submissions related to Uyghur Nationalism, but not limited to, the following:

1) Uyghur Nationalism in "Xinjiang" and China, 20th century,
2) Historical foundations of Uyghur Nationalism and Identity,
3) Uyghur Diaspora in Turkey, Europe and North America,
4) Future of Uyghur Nationalism and its impact on the US-China relations.

Deadline: APRIL 5, 2006

Please send abstract to:

Panel Organizer and moderator
Dr. Dale Wimberley and Tugrul Keskin

Department of Sociology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
560 McBryde Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0137
(202)378-8606
Email: tugrulk@vt.edu

2nd International Conference on Business, Management and Economics

2nd International Conference on Business, Management and Economics
June 15-18, 2006
Yasar University
http://www.yasar.edu.tr


Altinyunus Resort Hotel/Convention Center
Cesme, Izmir/Turkey
http://www.altinyunus.com.tr/


Transnational Corporations (TNCs)

I invite your paper proposals on:

*Transnational Corporations
*Management systems of TNCs
* Global Political Economy
* Social and economic implications of TNCs
*The relation between developing countries and TNCs

I am organizing paper sessions on these topics for the upcoming 2nd International Conference on Business, Management and Economics in Cesme, Turkey, June 15-18, 2006.

Please send your abstract to tugrulk@vt.edu no later than April 23. Full paper submission May 15.

The conference website: http://conference2006.yasar.edu.tr/

You are cordially invited to the 2nd International Conference on Business, Management and Economics, which is going to be held in Izmir, Turkey between 15-18 June 2006.

We are honored to announce that Nobel Prize Winner in Economic Sciences, distinguished professor Thomas C. Schelling is going to present a special keynote address at the Second International Conference on Business, Management and Economics.

Seventh Annual International Social Theory Consortium (ISTC) Conference

Theorizing Power in the post 9/11 World

May 18 – 21, 2006
The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
Roanoke, Virginia

Call for Papers

The Alliance of Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) at Virginia Tech in partnership with the International Social Theory Consortium, (ISTC) will host the 7th Annual ISTC Conference May 18—21, 2006, in Roanoke, Virginia at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

The objective of this annual conference is to provide a forum for multidisciplinary dialogue between social theorists of all disciplines and occupations. The conference organizers invite paper and panel proposals from a variety of theoretical perspectives and intellectual traditions, and especially welcomes proposals that continue the Consortium’s dialogue among theorists working in the Global South and North. This conference also explicitly welcomes social activists engaged in transforming power relationships at various scales. As this year’s host, ASPECT is particularly interested in inviting panels that embrace in equal measure social, political, ethical and cultural theory in relationship to the conference theme.

Previous ISTC conferences have been hosted in Singapore, Toronto, Tampa, Dubrovnik, Sussex and Lexington, Kentucky.

Possible sub-themes to be addressed may include, but are not limited to the following.

1. New theorizations of power post 9/11
2. Classic theories of political, cultural, and social power
3. Geographical theorizations of power
4. Empire and its discontents
5. National and comparative perspectives on“race,” racialization, ethnicity and nativism
6. Cultural forms of neo-liberalism
7. Non-corporate and corporate models of globalization
8. Islam, Christianity and Judaism as forces for social justice
9. Technology, Science and Democracy
10. Analytic approaches to power and justice
11. Visualilty, media and representation
12. Memory and mourning
13. Theories and practices of civil society
14. Mediations of post 9/11 power: Race, Gender, Class
15. Militarism, war, and the disciplining of national bodies
16. Patriotism and class
17. Discourses on Inter-civilizational dialogues
18. Terror, torture, and human rights
19. Gender, sexuality and Critical Theory
20. Postcoloniality in an (ongoing) age of imperialism
21. Theorizing development and anti-development
22. Varieties of capitalism and anti-capitalisms
23. Global civil society and the ethics of place
24. Transnational social movements
25. Governance and governmentality
26. Radical, plural, and other varieties of democracy
27. Techno-nature
28. Health: Bio-ethics and bio-power
29. Demographies and cartographies of power
30. Immigration, citizenship and imagined national communities
31. Contemporary and historical perspectives on civic nationalism and patriotism
32. Constitutionalism and its institutions

Submission

Abstracts (between 150 and 200 words in length) for paper and panel
proposal should be submitted by February 15, 2006 to:

Professor Wolfgang Natter
E-MAIL: wnatter@vt.edu
Phone: 540.231.5342
FAX: 540-231-6078

MAIL:

7th ISTC Conference
ASPECT
531 Major Williams Hall (0130)
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061

For further inquiry, please contact:

Karen Jenkins
E-mail: karenjen@vt.edu
Telephone: 540-231-2839

All conference papers will receive consideration for inclusion in a publication containing the proceedings.

Registration*

Conference registration will be open early February 2006.

*Further registration information and web links will be made on this web-site prior to February 8, 2006.

Organized by the ASPECT Program, with the generous support of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech

How About a War on Poverty, Mr. President?

The Raging Liberal


Tugrul Keskin

In 1962, Edward Michael Harrington, an intellectual and activist, wrote an astonishing book, The Other America: Poverty in the US and his findings in this book shaped the views of American President Lyndon Johnson on poverty. On January 8, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a War on Poverty in his State of the Union address. Johnson knew that the War on Poverty was the one of the key elements in the fight against radicalism and extremism, therefore, he made it very clear that the war was unconditional. Between 1964 and 1968, America attempted to eliminate poverty and used economic and political tactics and strategies to gain the support of the people and to rescue them from the most extreme poverty. However, these socio-economic and political strategies have not continued after he left the Presidency and ultimately the war on poverty has failed in urban and rural America, because another war mongering President came to the power in the White House; Richard Nixon. Unfortunately, today is not different than the past.

According to the Census Bureau report entitled, “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003,” the percentage of Americans who live below the poverty level is 12.5% and the socio-economic gap between races and ethnic groups is stronger than ever. In the same report, there was a significant relationship shown between people’s ethnic origin and poverty levels. In 2002, the percentage of people who lived below the poverty level was 12.1%, but the poverty level for the total population in the US increased to 12.5% soon afterwards, in 2003. In the same Census Bureau report, it was recorded that 13.2 million people of Hispanic origin and 7.3 million African-Americans were living without health insurance. In total, 44.9 million people did not have health insurance in the US in 2003.

Poverty in the World may have different ways that it shows itself and more challenges to come. For instance, according to Global Policy Forum, Most African nations suffer from military dictatorships, corruption, civil unrest and war, underdevelopment and deep poverty. The UN Development Program report 2005 indicates that 34.8 million children will die in the next ten years and the same report also shows that poverty and inequality all over the world is a trend that has increased. The inequality level in Brazil is 59.3%, in Namibia it is 70.7%, Egypt 34.4%. In Pakistan, only 38% of all children will complete their primary education, because of poverty and the socio-economic depression.

Poverty is the cause of many of the social and political challenges that we face today. The social and political consequences are related with the economic gap that exists both between nations and within American society. The essence of the elimination of poverty from the socio-economic sphere is a key factor to shortening the gap between the rich and poor. However, as long as there is a wide gap between the upper and working classes, the Capitalist economy and America will continue to face ever-more challenges and crisis. As a result of poverty and the continuation of Colonialism because the power of trans-national corporations by the powerful West, developing nations will face new challenges such as religious fundamentalism; because the people and political stakeholders have nothing to lose but their identity.

Today, we have a different president and a different war than the one undertaken by President Johnson’s under his broad perspective. President Bush believes the war on terror will eliminate or at least minimize radicalism and this will prevent future attacks on America. It is absolutely wrong. As long as there is a gap between the rich and poor, and the socio-economic gap continues to exist between nations and within nations, and the idea of colonialization continues, unfortunately terrorism will survive; therefore, we must understand that terrorism is another ugly face and a further reflection of poverty.

Behind Closed Doors: Elite Politics, Think Tanks, and U.S. Foreign Policy

Tuğrul Keskin & Patrick R. Halpern

Insight Turkey

In the April-June 2005 Issue

Published by the Ankara Center for Turkish Policy Studies (ANKAM)

This paper aims to illuminate the role played by think tanks in the development of public policy and planning. Employing the framework provided by William G. Domhoff and Elite Theory, this paper explores the role of elites in the formulation of public policy in the United States through an understanding of the interplay between foundations, think tanks, and policy discussion groups. Using the current U.S. foreign policy agenda as an example, we will examine how think tanks are, ultimately, the mouthpiece for the promotion of elite interests in the policy planning process...

You will find the entire article at the following homepage: Insight Turkey

The Philosophy of History, G.W. F. Hegel

Review of The Philosophy of History by Tugrul Keskin


Hegel attempts to elucidate his theory regarding the historical development of the human spirit. Hegel uses two levels of explanation for his approach; the level of individual self-consciousness, and the global level of human freedom. Hegel views reason as equal to God. He furthermore defines reason as “the infinite content, the very stuff of all essence and truth.” His lemmatic explanation of truth is based upon theological philosophy, and as such he believes there exists only one truth. On the other hand, some philosophers claim that there are multiple truths. One can argue that the truth may change from time to time, or from one condition to another. The truth of the oppressor and the truth of oppressed will represent different realities; they are different. The consciousness of freedom is the ultimate goal in the development of human freedom. Hegel implied that one cannot be free without God. However, he does not talk directly about God, he elaborates on the idea of reason, instead of God. For Hegel, God is reason, and spirit is the freedom of man or thought. According to Hegel, reason is an infinite power that represents God; therefore, reason has ruled the world. Hegel attempts to establish a link between the ‘final goal’ and reason, and ultimately finds the relationship between these two phenomenons within religious message.

Hegel writes that, “I am free when I exist independently, all by my self.” In this issue regarding the independence of human beings from despotic thought, Hegel is in conflict with himself, because on the one hand, what he desires is to free man from his dependences, on the other hand he brings man into the different dogmatic structure that is called religion. Religion is a dogmatic structure and conflicts with freedom.

Hegel employs a very conservative thought process in his approach to social action and structure. Accordingly, the realm of spirit is placed within a religious framework.

In the first chapter in the book, The Methods of History, Hegel employs the methodology of historical approach to the problem of human development. In “Reason in History,” he provides a definition for his basic argument regarding reason and its relationship to both infinite power and God. This analysis also involves spirit and its development in the context of human freedom, and the individual and his/her relationship to the state structure. In the chapter titled, “History in its development,” Hegel focuses on the larger picture, in which change is what leads to the perfectibility of human development. World history corresponds to the development of self-consciousness that brings with it “the development of Spirit’s consciousness of its freedom.” In Chapter 5, “The Geographical basis of history,” Hegel holds an ethnocentric perspective, which can be seen through his division of the world between the old and new world. In the last chapter, titled “The Division of history,” Hegel defines Europe as representing the absolute end of world history, in comparison to the East. In the Hegelian view, the East is only a relative term.

In short, the secularization process in Western Christian World cannot be understood without first examining Hegel’s argument regarding reason and spirit. Hegel’s ideas have influenced and shaped conservative social structures and philosophies. In the book, Hegel reminds us of the Weberian perspective of ethno-Christian centrism, in which religion is the center of reason and spirit. Hegel claims that man cannot be free unless he employs God’s will in his own life and freedom. It is interesting to see that in the Enlightenment of Europe, religion was a dominant factor even in the philosophical sense. For Hegel, universal truth is reason, more clearly it is God. On the other hand, perhaps a more useful perspective might view man as unable to be truly free, unless he dismisses God from public life, because religion is in fact a creation of the human mind. Humankind shouldn’t act as a slave of his own creation as is the case today. On the other hand, Hegelian philosphy is very similar to Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Islamic thinker who lived in the 12th century.