Turkish university hosts webinar on Orientalism

ANKARA

Established scholars from various parts of the world are meeting in an ongoing webinar series on Orientalism organized by a Turkish university in the capital Ankara.

The series, organized by the English literature department of the Social Sciences University of Ankara (ASBU), is dedicated to famous Palestinian scholar and thinker Edward Said, who wrote a groundbreaking book on the subject, and is being broadcast live on YouTube.

Islam and the West, Turkey's image in the West, Islamophobia and xenophobia are among the topics being tackled by the webinar.

The series is being held in English and hosted by Jerry Brotton, a senior expert on Renaissance studies at Queen Mary University of London and a producer at the BBC. Brotton delivered the lecture "Queen Elizabeth, Islam and the Untold Story of the Ottomans" last week.

This week, Gerald Maclean from Exeter University will deliver the lecture "Islam and Britain" as part of the webinar series.

Among the speakers so far are Bill Ashcroft of California University, an expert in post-colonial studies, and Hatem Bazian, a scholar on Islamophobia at Berkeley University.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Beyazit Akman, one of the series’ organizers, stressed that they intend to create awareness on various contemporary issues in Orientalism and post-colonial studies.

Barin Akman, another leading organizer, expressed hope that the webinar, which deals issues such as multiculturalism and respecting others in Western societies, would become a global event.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk