By Hanbersom Aghbashian
Dr. Semra Somersan (born in 1944 in Ankara- Turkey), is a
Turkish professor at Bilgi University. She worked as an investigator journalist
for some time… In December 2008, two hundred prominent Turkish intellectuals
released an apology for the “great catastrophe of 1915″. This was a clear
reference to the Armenian Genocide, a term still too sensitive to use so
openly. The signatories also announced a website related to this apology, and
called on others to visit the site and sign the apology as well. The complete,
brief text of the apology says ” My conscience does not accept the
insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the
Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my
share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers and
sisters. I apologize to them.” Semra Somersan was one of the intellectual who
signed the petition which in few days was signed by over 13,000 signatories.
(1)
***
Dr. Semra Somersan (born in 1944 in Ankara- Turkey), is a
Turkish professor at Bilgi University. She worked as an investigator journalist
for some time. Dr. Somersan has graduated from Bogazici University Department
of Economics in 1967, and won a Fulbright
scholarship to do a Ph.D in The United States. She studied Social Psychology at
Ohio State University in 1974, and gained her
master degree in Anthropology in 1976 and her Ph.D in 1981. After
working for two years as a visiting lecturer in the United States she returned
to Turkey. At the beginning she worked as investigator journalist for the Point Magazine, then for Cumhuriyet.
She has received two national journalism
award because of investigative journalism about the toxic waste imports to
Turkey. After a period of more than ten
years of journalism, she shifted to
academic work in 2000, and currently she is a lecturer at Istanbul Bilgi
University- Department of Sociology. Courses given by her include Introduction
to Sociology, Sociology of Culture, Sociological Perspectives, Nationalism and
Racism, Social and Cultural Anthropology, European Society and Culture,
Sociology and Law, Social Sciences and Lawyers for Human Rights Defenders. She
has a long list of published articles and
two published books, “Race and Ethnicity in Social Sciences, Istanbul
Bilgi University Press, 2004” and
“Environment and Politics in Turkey, the Ordinary Extraordinary country
to country, Istanbul, Metis, 1993.” Dr. Semra Somersan has received many
awarded including “Bulent Dikmener News award”, for her article
in Cumhuriyet newspaper, “the news related to importation of toxic waste in
Turkey” . The Turkish Medical Association Award, Contemporary Journalists’
Award, Best Teacher Award nomination,
The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, 1978-79, and many others
In December 2008, two hundred prominent Turkish
intellectuals released an apology for the “great catastrophe of 1915″. This was
a clear reference to the Armenian Genocide, a term still too sensitive to use
so openly. The signatories also announced a website related to this apology,
and called on others to visit the site and sign the apology as well. The
complete, brief text of the apology says ” My conscience does not accept the
insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the
Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my
share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers and
sisters. I apologize to them.” Semra Somersan was one of the intellectual who
signed the petition which in few days was signed by over 13,000 signatories.
(1)
Under the title “24 April, the anniversary of the 1915s
events, will be remembered this year in Turkey, too.”, Taraf Newspaper of 20th
April 2010 wrote “A group of intellectuals among them Ali Bayramoğlu, Ferhat
Kentel, Neşe Düzel, Perihan Mağden and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, for the first time
in Turkey, will commemorate this year on 24 April as the anniversary of the
events of 1915, under the leader-ship of “Say Stop!” group. The commemoration
will start in front of the tram station in Taksim Square. The group will be
dressing in black and carry photos of massacred Armenian intellectuals who were
deported from that station.” the following abstracts are from the text of the
commemoration activity, “This pain is OUR pain. This mourning is for ALL of US.
In 1915, when our population was just 13 million, 1,5 to 2 million Armenians
were living in these lands…. In April 24, 1915 it was started “to send them”.
We lost them. They are no longer available. They have not even graves. But the
“Great Pain” of the “Great Disaster” , with its utmost gravity EXISTS in our
pain”. Semra Somersan, was one of the Turkish intellectuals who called the
people to join the event and signed the text. (2)
1-
http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/200_prominent_Turks_apologize_for_great_catastrophe_of_1915
2- Taraf Newspaper, April 20, 2010.
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