The second of the Culture and Art Meetings series organized by the Vicdan Foundation featured SRC Book Publishing Coordinator and academic Fırat Acar . The event, which took place on October 19, 2024, was presented to participants face-to-face and online. The event was moderated by Vicdan Foundation Board Chairman Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu . This meeting offered a wide range of discussions, from conscientious responsibilities in the publishing world to the reflections of the concept of the "other" in society.
At the event, Fırat Acar shared his deep thoughts on censorship, oppression and othering encountered in today's publishing world. While talking about ethical responsibilities in the publishing sector, he emphasized that being the voice of the other is not only a moral stance, but also a responsibility towards society. Acar drew attention to the duty of publishers to defend free thought and spoke about a publishing house model where different identities come together.
The prominent themes in Fırat Acar's speech were the ethical responsibilities of publishing and the fight against censorship. While Fırat Acar deeply addressed the concept of "other" and marginalized groups in society, he emphasized the conscientious and moral responsibilities of publishers. In addition, the contribution of literature and art to social peace was among the important topics discussed.
Giving Voice to the Other
In his speech, Fırat Acar stated that othering is a problem that exists in every segment of society. He emphasized that even in the publishing field, many writers are in exile and their voices are not heard. He stated that the mission of the publishing house is to bring these silenced voices back into society. He added that the publishing world should stand against censorship and that this resistance is an important social duty.
The following sentence in his speech particularly caught attention: “We stood against a system that built its existence on the absence of the other.” This sentence stood out as a message that summarized the foundations of Acar’s publishing approach.
In this enjoyable meeting, the conscientious dimensions of publishing , the difficulties and responsibilities of being the voice of the "other" were discussed in detail. The importance of defending free thought in the publishing world and the contributions of this defense to society were listened to with interest by the participants. Moderated by Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu , this event attracted attention as part of the efforts of the Vicdan Foundation to expand the social conscience of its meetings in the field of culture and art.
You can also listen to Fırat Acar's conversation, which was broadcast live on our Youtube channel, here:
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