Speaking at the launch of the "An Intellectual on Türkiye's Watch: Alev Alatlı Symposium" organised by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications at the İstanbul Regional Directorate, the Presidency's Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, stated that their gathering was not merely for a commemorative meeting but for engaging in discussion, better understanding, and interpreting Alev Alatlı.
"Currently, we are engaged in a significant endeavour to break free from our shackles by, so to say, striking out against the world," said Head of Communications Altun and added, "We live and breathe in such a civilisation. Today, Türkiye, which Alev Alatlı defines as 'cannot be comprehended with a straight mind, cannot be measured with a ruler' and 'the one which possesses a unique identity,' is indeed struggling for emancipation, growth, consciousness, and presence in a pioneering and exemplary manner in the history of the contemporary world."
Head of Communications Altun continued:
"On the one hand, Türkiye is waging a unique modernisation war. It persists in this despite all the westernisation programmes, ideologies, actors, and institutions imposed on it. It is fighting against the unjust global order of exploitation and against the Western dependency system that sustains the unjust global order of exploitation. Our struggle is essentially for liberation from this system of dependency, a struggle for true emancipation."
Referring to Alatlı as one of the intellectual architects of the glorious struggle for existence, Head of Communications Altun stated that she contributed to this struggle as a public intellectual, cultural labourer, cultural critic, artist, and undoubtedly as a soldier of education.
"She is concerned about our nation"
Noting that Alev Alatlı was an intellectual who sought to migrate from the lands where the sun sets to those where it rises, from the pole of enlightenment to the pole of compassion, and who sought the truth, Head of Communications Altun said, ''In her eyes, truth is the most important value that must be upheld in this unjust world where we are constantly facing new crises. She stated that our nation is engaged in a struggle between truth and resilience, and she stands by and is concerned about our nation in this struggle.''
In reference to Funda Firuz Aktan, Alatlı's daughter, Head of Communications Altun said, ''Hope is undoubtedly one of the most significant values we can uphold in Alev Alatlı's philosophy and intellectualism. No matter what, she maintained hope. No matter what, she was courageous and encouraging. She virtually said to society and the nation, 'Dare to speak; it is your turn now.' She fought the pacifism of 'there is no other alternative' imposed on us through various channels, ways, and methods. She argued, 'No matter what, evil does not have to be the rule'."
''She stated that we can shatter the information monopoly within twenty years''
Altun recalled Alatlı's remarks that the new world order, which she called "postmodern fascism" in the 2000s, would fail despite the fact that it would cause much pain, and continued:
"At a time when some people are stating from podiums that 'We will bring the entire world to its knees,' that is, our world, the Islamic world, and at a time when the President of the United States was making threats, she was able to warn that 'the owners of this order will not prevail, even if they will hurt a lot.' In saying this, she also said that we could break the monopoly of knowledge, one of the most powerful tools in the hands of postmodern fascism, in 20 years. Of course she said, "We need a brand new concept of knowledge" in order to do this, and she did not stop there. She dedicated herself to the development of this concept of knowledge. Within this framework, she made significant contributions as a soldier of education and a cultural worker. Cappadocia University is an example of this."
Altun, Head of Communications, emphasised Alatlı's conviction that knowledge is the key to avoiding undesirable formations and said, "She always invested in knowledge, the production of knowledge, and, of course, addressed issues underlying the problems of thought." Within this framework, she focused on issues such as insufficient knowledge, prejudice, emotional abuse, overgeneralisation, negligence, and haste. Perhaps these have been significant practices and issues in Turkish thinking, stemming from various perspectives and ideologies throughout our history of westernisation."
Head of Communications Altun described Alatlı as a multidimensional and profound figure, a name challenging to encapsulate.
"She had an excellent understanding of society's actors, institutions, and processes."
Head of Communications Altun stated that the symposium will provide in-depth analyses of Alatlı's ideas and said,
"Alev Alatlı's novels have provided me with valuable insights into Turkish society as a sociologist." Within this context, I encouraged my students to read Alev Alatlı's novels. She was a person, an artist who read the Turkish society very well and came up with authentic, genuine answers, for her questions were real, not made-to-order. She had an excellent understanding of society's actors, institutions, and processes. Alev Alatlı was literally a truth-seeker with a focus on Türkiye, keeping a close eye on the world. She was always a firm believer in standing up for the good. That is why she became an intellectual in favour of the shining crescent. That is why she became a staunch supporter of the just Palestinian cause. She supported President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's struggle for global justice and truth.
For the same reason, she delivered that courageous speech at the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards in 2014. Addressing our President, she stated, "In oligarchic orders, it is customary for words addressed to the public but that the public has not yet considered to elicit anger. When you said, 'The world is bigger than five,' do you know that George Orwell, who said, 'In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act,' would stand up and applaud you?"
Head of Communications Altun expressed hope that the symposium would be auspicious and wished Allah's mercy upon Alatlı.
The symposium was attended by Alatlı's daughter Funda Firuz Aktan, who is also the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Alev Alatlı Education and Health Foundation; her son-in-law Kaan Aktan; former Minister of National Education and Culture Nabi Avcı; AK Party Kayseri Deputy Ayşe Böhürler; writers; academics; and guests.
The symposium concludes today with three sessions: "Testimonies-Memories and Thoughts," "Literature and Novel-The World from Alatlı's Pen," and "Thought and Criticism-Alatlı's Mental Horizon."
