The Solidarity Academies

In September 2015, a group of scholars from Turkey released a statement, “Akademisyenlerden barış ve adalet çağrısı/ Academics call for peace and justice,” which was subsequently signed by more than 2,000 academics from Turkey. The statement came in response to, and expressed deep concern about, “the escalating violence after the general elections held on 7 June in Turkey.” In particular, it noted and condemned the increasingly brutal state violence against Kurdish communities and the repression and criminalization of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). “We, the undersigned academics, call on the people of Turkey to take a stance in favor of peace, justice, and co-existence,” the statement concluded. “At a time when the right to life of the Kurdish citizens is under threat within the borders of Turkey, we call on all the political authorities to stand up for political resolution, justice, and peace instead of arms and death.”

Over the past five years, the signatories of what has come to be known as the “Academics for Peace” petition have been the objects of brutal state repression. These include indictments; detention; raids of the offices of faculty members in different universities; anti-terror police investigations; public lynching campaigns; termination of academic contracts, positions, and fellowships; bans from exercising one’s profession, such as the case of professors of law banned from registration for the bar; cancelation of passports, not just of the scholars but of the members of their family; and enforced exile, among other things. More information about the aftermath of the “Academics for Peace” petition can be found here.

One response to this ongoing repression has been the founding of Solidarity Academies by academics in Turkey who have faced this campaign of state repression as a result of their support for the petition. Beginning with Aslı Odman’s introductory article, “Solidarity Academies: Making a Virtue of Necessity?” (see link below), Jadaliyya will be featuring links to the work of a number of these academies, as well as articles, interviews, videos, and other media produced by scholars involved with the Solidarity Academies as well as analyses of these important collective intellectual projects. In trying to help amplify this important work, the editors of the Jadaliyya Turkey Page offer our own solidarity to all those involved. 

This page will be updated often, so please follow us for new content @jadaliyya on Twitter and on Facebook.

Article Resources

“Introduction: Solidarity Academies: Making a Virtue of Necessity?” by Aslı Odman

Institutional Resources

Türkiye Insan Hakları Akademi/Human Rights in Turkey Academy 

Mersin Kültürhane /Mersin Culture House
and Kültürhane on Youtube

Kocaeli Dayanışma Akademisi (KODA) - Kocaeli Academy of Solidarity
and on Twitter 

Off-University - University without Borders in Germany

BIRARADA Derneği 
Bilim, Sanat, Eğitim, Araştırma ve Dayanışma Derneği—Science, Arts, Education, Research and Solidarity Association
BIRARADA on Youtube and BIRARADA Akademi

Kampüssüzler –Istanbul’s “Campus-less” Group

Izmir Dayanışma Akademisi –Izmir Solidarity Academy
Izmir Dayanışma Akademisi on Youtube

Dersim Dayanisma Akademisi/Dersim Solidarity Academy

Ankara Solidarity Academy Coop (ADAKOOP)
Ankara Solidarity Academy on Twitter

Off-university.de - Academics for Peace in Berlin