Daily Agenda
NUN Foundation President Esra Albayrak: Colonialism did not end, it was reproduced in different forms!
NUN Education and Culture Foundation Chairman of the Board Dr. Esra Albayrak wrote for AA Analysis about the historical course of colonialism within the framework of decolonization discussions and the conditions under which a new consensus would be possible.
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When we look at the process the world is going through, we can say that we are at an important breaking point where people and societies want to redefine the way they make sense of the world and their position on the global plane. Whether this repositioning process will be shaped through an inclusive consensus or deepening conflicts is one of the fundamental issues that we, as social scientists, must pay careful attention to and develop a common road map. As a social scientist, an educator, and perhaps more importantly, a mother, I think that the attitude we show today for the future of humanity is important for the mental and spiritual legacy we will leave to our children. I believe that a consensus approach should guide humanity’s search for a more just world. Building a consensus that prioritizes human dignity is not a purely political choice but a moral responsibility.
The prevailing international order’s sense of superiority, devoid of values, has dragged humanity into an existential crisis and has legitimized all kinds of inhumane treatment through the distinction between “primitive” and “civilized” throughout history. The genocide that took place in Gaza on October 7 and afterwards brought to light the wounded memory of humanity and brought about a deep questioning of the moral and political legitimacy of the current international system.
This picture reminds us of a historical fact: Colonialism is not a page closed in the 1960s, but a structure that continues its existence by acquiring new forms. Academic studies carried out under the title of postcolonial studies around the world for years still seem far from fundamentally analyzing the global structure in which colonialism is reproduced in different forms. At this point, would it be possible to rethink decolonization as the possibility of liberating from the colonial mentality and imagining a more original, fairer life?
THE HUMAN BURDEN AND THE PRESENT PRESENT OF DECOLONIZATION
The mental background of the “white man’s burden” discourse reached its peak in 19th-century European thought. Malthus conceptualized society as a sphere of contract operating on scarce resources; From here Darwin developed the idea of ”survival of the fittest”; Darwin’s cousin Galton carried this into eugenics, dividing humans into superior and inferior genetic categories. With the concept of sociogeny, societies were ranked as primitive or civilized. Sociology was defined as the science of modern societies, and anthropology was defined as the science of primitive societies. Thus, science was turned into a tool to legitimize colonization. In this process, to which Rudyard Kipling gave moral legitimacy with the phrase “the white man’s burden”, the obligation of the so-called superior to elevate the inferior was seen as an indispensable responsibility.
The 20th century continued to bear the traces of this understanding. Even though anti-colonial movements spread and colonies gained their independence, the colonial mentality continued to shape the world order in various forms. Decolonial discourse rightly questioned this framework and often even suggested the opposite: It suggested that the colonized had the burden of regaining what was taken away, but to reverse something is not to transcend it. Saying “the black man’s burden” means continuing to remain within the architecture of the hierarchy that is intended to be destroyed, no matter how critical one is. The dichotomies of black-white, East-West, primitive-civilized were never a fair description of the world, but were dichotomies imposed on the world.
What needs to happen is that this logic should be abandoned, not reversed. We must center the “man’s burden”, not the black or white man’s burden. We must look at the issue not as a racial or civilizational category but as a shared responsibility arising from a more fundamental claim. As adopted by many universal beliefs and civilization teachings, existing as a human being is valuable and worthy of respect, regardless of other qualities. As a matter of fact, Islam defines human beings as beings with immunity (ismet) and adopts the protection of their rights under all circumstances as a basic principle. Sincerely embracing such a universal human understanding makes it possible to embrace humanity in all its diversity and turns into a behavioral value that rejects exploitation from the first moment. However, we now clearly see that the human rights discourse, which has become global since the second half of the 20th century, has not gone beyond the “white man’s burden” rhetoric, despite all its flashy propositions, and has even been turned into a tool of exploitation and taming the other. Then, we have to look for ways to transcend Western-centered and predominantly Western-produced discourses and place human immunity and dignity at the center of discourse and life. In this way, it may be possible to restore the rights of the oppressed world and to purify the exploiter from the “mastery complex”, which is the main burden that he cannot prevent.
MULTI-CENTERED GEOPOLITICS OF INFORMATION
Today’s information ecosystem, shaped by a single-centered and supremacist perspective, is one of the areas we must confront first in the context of decolonization. Because the “epistemic arrogance” created by the formation of the production and circulation processes of knowledge under the hegemony of a single center is one of the main responsible for the alienation and crisis of meaning that humanity has been dragged into today.
There have also been intellectual objections to “epistemic arrogance” rising within Western academia. While Frantz Fanon exposed colonial violence with psychoanalytical sharpness, Edward Said showed how the East was constructed as a geographical and conceptual phenomenon within a matrix of knowledge. Talal Asad, on the other hand, questioned the epistemic violence on which the West’s claim to universality is built. This critical vein is a tradition that decolonial thought both feeds on and continues to reckon with, and this tradition asks us the following questions: For whom and for what purpose do we produce knowledge? Through which knowledge traditions do we make or fail to make sense of ourselves, our geography and the world? Is knowledge a tool of power production or the basis for the search for truth and meaning? The answers we give to these questions will determine what position we will take in the new world order.
Undoubtedly, knowledge traditions that establish the relationship with knowledge through meaning and truth, and do not turn it into a tool of superiority and privilege, will protect the dignity and solidarity of humanity more strongly. Today, we have to question the roles and hegemonic epistemic powers of the world’s respected universities, institutions that produce knowledge and represent international law, in the construction of the current crises and unfair order. In this regard, as the conscience of academia and knowledge, we need to revive ancient epistemic centers and even uncover new ones and turn our direction to new horizons.
ISTANBUL AND A NEW COMPROMISE
Istanbul is not only a host in this debate, but also an actor with a unique perspective due to its historical location. Istanbul, which has been the intersection of world trade, culture and politics for thousands of years, can offer a reliable basis for a compromise that prioritizes human dignity, epistemic justice and the possibility of multicultural social life in the new world order. This consensus should not be satisfied with a well-intentioned passive resistance, but should also build a strong objection to the impositions of the single-centered dominant system and the self-confidence to call to account.
The World Decolonization Forum, planned to take place in Istanbul on May 11-12, will rise on this basis. More than 70 academic papers will be presented at the forum, where academics, intellectuals and activists from Africa, South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the critical traditions of the West will come together. With the decolonial art exhibitions that can be followed simultaneously and the Decolonized Film Festival that will take place at Atlas Cinema the same week, participants will be provided with an honest dialogue environment where different disciplines rarely meet on the same ground.
We invite everyone who believes that humanity’s heritage cannot fit into a single story to Atatürk Cultural Center on 11-12 May.
Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Knowledge Dissemination Foundation, who visited Aleppo, Syria, and his accompanying delegation had intensive contacts. Governor Azzam Garib presented the model of Aleppo Castle to Bilal Erdoğan. Then, the delegation visited the historical Umayyad Mosque and received information about the restoration work. Bilal Erdoğan, who also attended the ‘Common Mind Meeting’ program organized by the Union of International Democrats (UID), said that Syria becoming a strong country and Türkiye’s brotherly neighbor country would be an achievement not only of Syria but also of the conscience of humanity.
WE FEEL AT OUR HOME
Emphasizing that they are working with the understanding of “what can be done for Syria”, Bilal Erdoğan said, “Our brotherhood with Syria is like no other. We truly feel at home here. Because we have a geography of heart that others will not understand, a fire burns in our hearts.” Stating that Türkiye is one of the countries that left its mark on the 21st Century, Bilal Erdoğan said: “If there is to be a transfer of civilizational watch while these great power rivalries continue in the world, where Türkiye stands will play a very important role in this transformation, this important transformation. Therefore, Turkey has to work not only to strengthen itself, but also to make all the members of our heartland geography, along with Turkey, all brother countries that are members of this alliance of human conscience, prosperous, stable, peaceful and strong.”
Daily Agenda
BREAKING NEWS | New ‘tender’ operation at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality: 12 suspects, for whom a detention order was issued, were caught!
Breaking news… Police of the Financial Crimes Department, affiliated with the Istanbul Police Department; It was determined that there were irregularities in some works and transactions regarding six tenders carried out by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Road Maintenance and Infrastructure Coordination Department, European Side Road Maintenance and Repair Branch Directorate and the Information Technology Department Electronic Systems Directorate.
According to allegations; It was determined from the Expert Report that the tender officials and the companies that won some tenders for 2021 and 2023 were responsible for the irregularities in question.
In simultaneous operations carried out in Kırklareli and Trabzon, centered in Istanbul, 12 suspects were caught and detained and brought to the Istanbul Provincial Police Department.
During the operation, Head of Department Ayhan Taş, European Side Road Maintenance and Repair Branch Manager Murat Er, technician Erkan Kavlak, Erkan Koç who prepared the technical specification, Electronic Systems Manager Hakan Çakır, İbrahim Yaşaroğlu who prepared the technical specification, engineer Menderes Çakmak, Muhammet Sertaç Kazıcı who prepared the technical specification, Niyazi Baştürk, Zeynep Düşmez, İsmail Kurtuluş and İhsan Sabri who prepared the technical specification. Kurtuluş was taken into custody. It was learned that Levent Ilgın was abroad.
Istanbul police Financial Crimes Department teams started working within the scope of the investigation into the crime of extortion under the coordination of the Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
During the investigations, it was determined that financial benefits were requested from contractors and business followers in some constructions within the area of responsibility of Üsküdar Municipality, citing violations of the project as a justification for occupation license applications. It was determined that the demands were shaped as a result of the evaluations in which senior managers participated, and the occupancy procedures of the illegal buildings were approved.
Within the scope of the investigation, it was reported that, in line with the orders and instructions of Kent Hizmetleri A.Ş. General Manager Nazım Akkoyunlu and Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Filiz Deveci, the contractors were forced to sign a contract with Kent A.Ş. under the name of “consultancy service” during the process of issuing building permits in the municipality. Action was taken upon evidence that the suspects committed the crime of “extortion” by acting as participants in the process of obtaining unfair profits through this method.
In this context, simultaneous operations were carried out at a total of 14 addresses, 13 in Istanbul and one in Muğla. While 7 suspects were caught and detained during the operations, a large number of digital materials were also seized.
News Entry
Bilal Erdoğan, in his speech at the “Common Mind Meeting” program organized by the Union of International Democrats (UID) in Aleppo, said that Syria becoming a strong country and Türkiye’s brotherly neighbor country would be an achievement not only of Syria but also of the conscience of humanity. Stating that they have been working with the understanding of “What can we do for Syria” since December 8, 2025, and that this visit will enable Türkiye’s hand of friendship to reach Aleppo faster and do better things, Erdoğan said:
“Our brotherhood with Syria is unlike anything else. We are not talking about brotherhood in words, protocol or diplomacy. We truly feel at home here. We feel like we are in a town as close as if we left Istanbul to Bursa. We feel the same feeling when we leave Istanbul and go to Skopje. We feel it when we leave Istanbul and go to Sarajevo. We leave Istanbul to Konya, from Istanbul to Samarkand, Bukhara, We feel it when we go to Baku. Because we have a geography of hearts that others cannot understand. That’s why we want to know whether a world war will break out today. Where else will genocide continue? We believe that in this dark world, where the ongoing wars, the ongoing persecutions, the ongoing genocides will end, it is still possible, and that humanity will prevail with God’s grace.” Stating that the International Democratic Union is a union of people who keep the torch of hearts and the light of conversation bright, Erdoğan stated that Türkiye is one of the central countries of the world.
Emphasizing that Türkiye is one of the countries that left their mark on the 21st century, Erdogan continued as follows: “If there is to be a transfer of civilizational watch while these great power rivalries continue in the world, where Türkiye stands will play a very important role in this transformation, this important transformation. Therefore, Turkey has to work not only to strengthen itself, but also to ensure that all the members of our heartland, along with Turkey, of all brother countries that are members of this alliance of human conscience, are prosperous, stable, peaceful and strong. For this reason, the International Democratic Union is only about the Turks in the world.” It is not an organization of the diaspora. It is also the only non-governmental organization in the world that will stand by our entire heartland, encourage them, organize, support and encourage them to get better education, to be more effective in business and to rise to higher positions in the politics of the countries they live in. Therefore, the International Democratic Union has a very big mission. This mission does not only concern Türkiye. “It concerns.”
Erdoğan, who is in Kazakhstan to attend the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meeting and the Unofficial Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, continues his contacts.
HE INSPECTED THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CENTER
President Erdoğan inspected the Alem.AI Artificial Intelligence Center after the Türkiye-Kazakhstan Business Forum.
Erdoğan received information about the center from Kazakhstan President Tokayev and other officials who accompanied him, and watched the video about Türkiye projected on the screens.
During his visit, President Erdoğan was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, AK Party Deputy Chairman Ömer İleri, President of the Organization of Turkish States (TDT) Aksakals Council Binali Yıldırım, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Presidential Foreign Policy and Security Chief Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç and Presidential Private Secretary Hasan Doğan.
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Daily Agenda
Minister of Internal Affairs Çiftçi: We will continue to carry our country to a stronger future in every field
Minister Çiftçi visited AK Party Erzurum Provincial Headquarters and met with Provincial Chairman İbrahim Küçükoğlu and members of the organization. Minister Çiftçi said that Erzurum has been one of the cities that has embraced the national will most strongly for centuries, with its heart climate kneaded with faith, the spirit of brotherhood and the love of the nation.
Stating that the AK Party, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is not just a political movement, but a great cause movement born from the heart of the nation, Minister Çiftçi said: “Our Erzurum organizations have always demonstrated the strongest will in our fight shoulder to shoulder with our nation against tutelage focuses, dark calculations and circles that want to set up a game on Turkey. With God’s permission, the vision of the Turkish Century rising under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.” “In line with this, we will continue to carry our country to a stronger future in every field, without deviating from the policy of work and service.”
Minister Çiftçi said, “Each member of our organization, who works day and night, assumes a great responsibility for Türkiye to reach a stronger future. May God always preserve our unity, solidarity and belief in our cause.”
News Entry
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Our heartland should be prosperous – Last Minute News
BREAKING NEWS | New ‘tender’ operation at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality: 12 suspects, for whom a detention order was issued, were caught!
Israel ‘trampling on humanity’s shared values’, President Erdoğan says
Our heartland should be prosperous – Last Minute News
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