tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42399513561008244032011-04-21T23:19:09.013-05:00Here are some writings, responses and photographs. If you want to use any of this material, please contact me @ gokcumen@gmail.comOmer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.comBlogger671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-3694441640506441402009-04-01T16:07:00.003-05:002009-04-01T16:09:00.937-05:00

Merhaba,I have moved my blog to http://anatolianshep.wordpress.com/Cheers to all of you...Blogumun yeni adresi http://anatolianshep.wordpress.com/Hepinize selam...

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-22984839791152408042009-02-14T19:13:00.002-05:002009-02-14T19:25:35.712-05:00

Merhaba herkese,Son iki ayda farkettim ki, bırakın blog yazmayı, başımı kaşıyacak vaktim kalmamış. Umuyorum ki, önümüzdeki günlerde laboratuarda harcadığım zamanlar, oldukça ilginç sorulara yanıt verecek verilere dönüşecek. Ancak bu arada blog yazmaya bir ara vermem gerekiyor sanıyorum. Yakın zamanda görüşmek üzere, şimdilik perde!Hi all,I realied that I have not written any substantial

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-31456919161720092992009-01-20T16:46:00.004-05:002009-01-24T11:58:26.459-05:00

"--AND you say that a man cannot, of himself, understand what is good and evil; that it is all environment, that the environment swamps the man. But I believe it is all chance. Take my own case . . ." started Tolstoy his short story, "After the Dance." That was pretty much what I was thinking after I watched the, sometimes superficial and sometimes deep, but throughout graceful and colorful

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-12736135912775161012008-12-27T17:13:00.001-05:002008-12-27T17:13:00.102-05:00

I was with dear friends in a Cambridge restaurant, eating Shabu Shabu (a.k.a. awesome awesome Asian hot-pot). Our conversation was turned into the validity of organized religions in the modern world. One strong argument for religion was that logic and science cannot give hope. With science, it will be always the cold, brutal facts and nothing else. Hence, people, one way or the other, need

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-39937832298714374072008-12-24T14:34:00.004-05:002008-12-28T14:53:34.136-05:00

Sayın Alkan,Size yazmamin sebebi “Seni Ermeni seni…” isimli yazınızda ele aldığınız “etnisite” ve “ırk” kavramlarını işleyiş tarzınızı eleştirmek. Yazınızın temel fikrine kesinlikle katılıyorum. Genetik olarak birbirimizin arasında o kadar az fark var ki, sizin de dediğiniz gibi bütün bu etnik/ırksal kategoriler anlamını yitiriyor. Ancak, yazınızda ki iki paragraf bilimsel bulguları tamamen

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-21032770070424116762008-11-21T18:01:00.000-05:002008-11-21T18:01:00.795-05:00

I am just mesmerized by Glenn Gould. I do not know if deep inside, I want to be like him, or just admire him for his childish arrogance. He is just a wonderful character.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-38394910535683373222008-11-19T20:03:00.000-05:002008-11-19T20:03:00.917-05:00

She was just amazing!!!I came across Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Min, performed by Jacqueline du Pré. Her performance was, even to unpolished ears like mine, just breathtaking.Yo-Yo Ma's interpretation of the piece, which I would have taken as the definitive version (as his performance on Bach's Cello Suites), remained by far the weaker one. Remarkable, considering that Yo-Yo Ma is a brilliant

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-83002096701930466822008-11-17T10:34:00.000-05:002008-11-17T10:34:00.532-05:00

A BRILLIANT RESPONSE BY Radu Ioviţă TO MY PREVIOUS POST ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOMSThis is an interesting topic, but I'm going to disagree with you. I've been reading a book by Sir Peter Ustinov, which he incidentally wrote in German, called "Achtung: Vorurteile!" ("Attention: Prejudice!"), where one of the things which remained engraved in my memory is the observation that not so long ago, in

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-60309709040996523982008-11-15T19:16:00.001-05:002008-11-15T19:16:00.195-05:00

I am very confused about the boundaries of religious freedom.A recent news story in BBC, "Stoning Victim 'begged for mercy'" highlights everything that is wrong with religious fundamentalism. It was the story of a 13 year-old rape-victim, who apparently yelled "don't kill me, don't kill me" before she was stoned to death by more than 50 men. Allegedly more than a thousand people watched the

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-13521548837095261792008-11-13T17:44:00.000-05:002008-11-13T17:44:00.859-05:00

There are many distinctive shifts happening in the intellectual world. Driven by the immense speed of transmission, the interpretation and transformation of ideas is mind boggling. However, this speed carries with it the risk of creating complex, yet superficial paradigms that unable to comprehend deeper and more subtle connections.A recent opinion piece, Electronic Publication and the

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-44416770679008573542008-11-11T18:40:00.006-05:002008-11-13T10:03:19.274-05:00

NOTE TO READER: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE DO READ THE COMMENTS BELOW. THEY DO MAKE SOME EXCELLENT POINTS.Representations of Evolutionary Theory in Turkish Newspapers, a paper for which I am a co-author, will be presented in ECREA conference in Barcelona. Meanwhile, one of the co-authors, Murat Gülsaçan, brought to my attention the following paper by Setälä and Väliverronen, entitled Public

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-62052685077832761122008-11-10T11:07:00.000-05:002008-11-10T11:07:01.089-05:00

Unutmamalıyız ki, Obama dünya başkanı seçilmedi, Amerika başkanı seçildi. Kendi ulusunun refahı için Bush yönetiminden çok daha başarılı işler çıkaracağı neredeyse kesin. Ama Obama'nın getireceği yeni politikaların dünya için daha iyi olacağı gibi bir hayale kapılmamalı. Amerika başkanı olarak Obama, Amerika için çalışacak.Bütün dünyada oluşan umut dalgasını 8 sene süren irrasyonel, militarist

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-46818049699083717792008-11-05T18:20:00.006-05:002008-11-05T18:41:39.686-05:00

Obama, Obama, Obama...4 kasım akşamı, bir toplantı için gittiğim Chicago Üniversitesi'nin Hutchinson Hall denen büyük salonunda, Obama'nın ismi hep bir ağızdan tekrarlanıyordu. Duvarlara asılmış, yaşlı, beyaz, saygın görünüşlü akademiyenlerin portrelerine çarpıp bu ses, genç ve yaşlı, sakallı, atkılı, kepli, pipolu ve ister istemez beyaz bir akademik kalabalığa geri dönüyordu.O salonda, çevremde

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-22259504335168464652008-10-19T16:24:00.001-05:002008-10-26T13:25:00.737-05:00

Felsefi Diyaloglar: Giriş<!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-14150469561912899352008-10-07T16:31:00.002-05:002008-10-26T13:25:10.619-05:00

Who you callin' a Maverick is a very interesting article in NYT about a Texan family, who carries the name Maverick. It is one of those "only in America" stories.I, being an "alien" in America, am fascinated by American politics, albeit dissappointed. It is really sad that the American political discourse is trapped in a shallow pond. It is even sadder that this pond lies just a couple of

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-10931390562008689902008-09-19T01:31:00.008-05:002008-09-19T05:40:23.064-05:00

Bu diyaloglara kısa bir giriş için tıklayınız.Bir önceki diyalog için tıklayınız.PERİHAN VE ORHAN BU SEFER ANKARA SAKARYA'DA NET PİKNİK'TE BULUŞMUŞLARDIR.  RAKI İÇMEKTE VE DE MELİH GÖKÇEK'TEN KONUŞMAMAK İÇİN FELSEFE KONUŞMAKTADIRLAR.Perihan Pekbilir Görece (PPG):  Merhaba Orhan.  Geçen sefer benim kadınsallığımı kullandığımı ima ettin.  Emin ol çok şey var söyleyeceğim ama karıştırmıyorum (DOMUZ!

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-35384182882521717952008-08-30T01:10:00.004-05:002008-09-02T02:21:22.956-05:00

Buda kalesinin tepesine doğru, en yukarıya, en uca, en ulaşılmaza çıkmak için yorgun bacaklarımı iteliyorum. Güneş arkamda, gölgem benden önce çok uzaklara gidiyor, onun arkasından koşuyorum. Elimde fotoğraf makinem, kulağımda Bartόk’ün Romen Dansları yavaş yavaş tırmanıyorum merdivenleri.Arkama bakmamaya kararlıyım, Izanagi’nin hatasına düşmeden, güzellikler tam olmadan ve de çirkinlikler

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-51482762256921194942008-08-24T06:56:00.003-05:002008-08-26T03:46:31.115-05:00

Bu diyolaglarla ilgili kısa bir giriş için tıklayınız. Perihan Pekbilir Görece (PPG) - Merhaba, geçen gün youtube’da geziyordum bir de baktım ki Žižek’in yeni bir video’su ortalıkta dolanıyor. Bu sefer 1960’lardan klasik muzikal “Sound of Music” ile ilgili çok çarpıcı saptamalar yapıyor ve temelde fılmin altmetninin açıkça ırkçı olduğunu savunuyor. Bence Žižek mükemmel ve ahlaki olarak çok

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-41957610743776671042008-08-21T03:55:00.003-05:002008-10-26T13:24:20.547-05:00

Marburg şehrinin eski kısmındaki ortaçağdan kalma ana caddesinin (ki bu cadde neredeyse bizim istanbul’daki evin olduğu Şair Ahmet Kemal sokağı kadar uzun, neredeyse beş yüz metre) tam ortasında, kahve dükkanlarının ve barların ortasına sıkışmış bir kitapçı var. Bu kitapçı hayatımın son altı ayında önemli bir yer tutuyor. Neden derseniz, Marburg’da satın alabileceğiniz İngilizce kitapların çoğu

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-79859057512308372382008-08-13T04:32:00.003-05:002008-08-13T04:35:39.441-05:00

This is really really fun. Even though neuroscientists tend to over-generalize at times, their findings are amazing. Here is a NYT article about the magicians, their tricks and the neuroscientific explanation to that.As for the original review article in Nature-Reviews

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-45704501796772628732008-08-07T14:46:00.003-05:002008-08-07T14:48:38.496-05:00

Amazingly enough, Marburg is in New York Times. "This fairy-tale town is stuck in the middle of a utopian struggle over renewable energy. The town council’s decision to require solar-heating panels has thrown Marburg into a vehement debate over the boundaries of ecological good citizenship and led opponents to charge that their genteel town has turned into a “green dictatorship.”http://

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-67262319985540922692008-08-03T10:57:00.001-05:002008-08-03T10:58:41.427-05:00

Neredeyse tümüyle yapay parçalardan oluşturulmuş ilk DNA Japon kimyacılar tarafından geliştirildi. Türkiye basınında "İlk akıllı DNA" diye haberleşti. Anlaşılan o ki editörler, bilim muhabirlerinden temel biyoloji bilgisi beklemiyor... Anlamadan derlenen bu haberin herhangi bir okuyucu tarafından anlaşılması da elbette mümkün değil. MURAT GÜLSAÇAN'IN YAZISININ GERİSİ İÇİN

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-8070653432747100242008-07-31T08:42:00.004-05:002008-07-31T18:26:55.307-05:00

Sad, true, blunt. Imamovic captures the amazing obliviousness of the world and Europeans, in particular to the violence in the heart of Europe.It seems that the director's new film, Go West, is facing stiff criticism in Bosnia because it tells the story of a clandestine gay relationship in the backdrop of the Bosnian war.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-8493535983732101892008-07-31T05:37:00.001-05:002008-10-26T13:25:00.738-05:00

Producing ideas, subconsciously and essentially, linked to disseminating them and, in the very core of it, it makes intellectuals self-promoting. In fact, all production of knowledge is essentially narcissistic and I think there is nothing wrong with that.As bad as it sounds, it is exactly what an intellectual is: A person, who dedicates oneself to "know" and "think" more than others. This is

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-88170248683176207002008-07-12T03:00:00.002-05:002008-07-14T02:47:36.932-05:00

Sayın Devrim,Yazılarınızı hep bir hoşlukla okurum. Ancak 12 Temmuz 2008 tarihli "19 satırlık korkunç haber" isimli yazınız beni rahatsız etti ki, bu rahatsızlığın birden fazla nedeni var.İlk neden, Türkiye'de artık akut hale gelmiş bilimsel cahilliği sizin gibi entellektüel yelpazesi geniş bir insanın bile "normal" karşılaması. "Bilimin zirvelerinde olup bitenlere pek aklımız ermez," diyerek,

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-2511024827897119542008-07-03T23:54:00.003-05:002008-07-31T18:28:26.684-05:00

Knowledge production in Turkey is hampered by many setbacks. I think, the problem arises primarily because academic and intellectual leaders gain their power through personal relationships and political views. Nature seems to be interested in this topic for a while now. FYI.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-47318056388156601662008-05-31T03:04:00.004-05:002008-05-31T03:28:35.717-05:00

Sayın İnce,31 Mayıs 2008 tarihli "Allah akıl versin!" isimli yazınızın sonuç cümlesinde ima ettiğiniz "DNA taraması" yolu ile "İslamcıların birçoğunun damarlarında Rumlaşmış, Ermenileşmiş Anadolu yerli halklarının kanı" ibaresi çok problemli.Kan ideolojik ve tarihsel olarak çok yüklü bir kavram. Her ne kadar kültürel anlamda Türk kanı, Yunan kanı, Anadolu kanı bir çok anlam taşısa da, biyolojik

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-59405330689293480092008-05-23T11:32:00.007-05:002008-12-11T04:18:39.457-05:00

First season of fieldwork in Central Anatolia. Summer 2004. Kardes Turkuler on my ipod."I am lost... I am lost in my own country."These are the thoughts that haunted me as I drove a crappy station wagon, along the dirt roads somewhere near Nigde. The sun blew its unbearably hot breath from the windows and I passed ruins and hills and mounds and fields and villages.I knew I had to stop in

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-83562776290392115502008-05-05T01:12:00.001-05:002008-05-02T01:50:58.534-05:00

Brooklyn Funk Essentials one of the many groups that have become regulars of the Istanbul music scene.In the confusing, yet ever growing cultural maze of Istanbul countless groups and artists emerge in the last decade. For some, Istanbul, "where east meets west" became the new intellectual focus, as the east European cities were, when the grip of Soviets were weakening. For others, it

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-42536260926981212882008-04-30T10:28:00.004-05:002008-04-30T10:41:15.803-05:00

Larry Lessig of Stanford University is neither an anthropologist, nor a scientist.  He is, of all occupations, a lawyer.  Yet, he is a very interesting lecturer.  His presentation style, now known as the "Lessig Style," seems to influence people's way of presenting their ideas.  Here is a recent commentary by a physicist on presenting "Lessig Style."  As for me, I find some of the elements, such

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-17356483630002203482008-04-25T02:29:00.004-05:002008-07-31T18:33:36.339-05:00

Milan Kundera asked in his fabulously inconclusive novel Immortality:"Does love for art really exist and has it ever existed? Is it not a delusion? When Lenin proclaimed that he loved Beethoven's Appassionato, above all else, what was it that he really loved? What did he hear? Music? Or a majestic noise that reminded him of the solemn stirrings in his soul, a longing for blood, brotherhood,

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-10796193706139052242008-04-10T16:39:00.001-05:002008-04-10T16:41:33.453-05:00

Radikal İki'de Türkiye'de bulunan ilk Homo erectus ile ilgili bir yazım çıktı bilginize.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-54370032276566140112008-03-31T07:31:00.005-05:002008-03-31T08:14:15.474-05:00

The lost souls of the post-modern age hit us on the face everywhere we turn. Daarjeeling Limited by Wes Anderson is just another slap, a very gentle one, but a slap nevertheless...It seems for the generation Y, or whatever my generation is called, there is no cause except a nihilistic emotional self-exploration and no ideology except an extremely sophisticated mourning for a colorful, exotic and

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-23254139562774300602008-03-18T06:21:00.001-05:002008-12-11T04:18:39.658-05:00

I am again feeling that familiar tingling in my stomach sitting in the seat numbered 107, facing the opposite direction to the train’s movement: a longing to escape. My kind seems to fear future; hence we prefer to look to the past for answers.We live in the land of blurry, unsolved memories and present is always a train ride.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-70093321103064990702008-03-16T06:51:00.000-05:002008-03-16T06:51:01.115-05:00

Radu and I wrote an article on Marginalism. It was recently published in the journal Exquisite Corpse. If you are interested here is the link. Marginalia on Marginalism in Contemporary Times

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-56182270977222332082008-03-14T03:04:00.003-05:002008-12-11T04:18:40.119-05:00

Many of the faces of Berlin are hidden deep under the uncomfortably familiar, serious, and dire grimaces. The moment we stepped outside of the train station, I felt the powerful, unblinking gazes of war, violence and separation. Berlin was branded with the Mark of Cain and it was hard for anybody to look past the ghosts of this city.As Emma the storm blew over us violent and unpredictable, we

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-18827920407249187302008-03-14T02:34:00.003-05:002008-03-14T02:54:43.865-05:00

How sad, simple and eternally greedy it is to look down to Earth from the expensive glasses of an economist.A BBC article about French students quoted a person from the careers office of Montpellier University as she declared:"In France, many young people don't study the right subjects..."I advise them they need practical qualifications to work. I come from the private sector and I know that

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-77417793579905544222008-03-11T06:08:00.001-05:002008-12-11T04:18:40.341-05:00

2005 protestoları bence unutulmaması gereken ve üzerinde tartışılması gereken bir olay. Oldukça uzun olduğu için kısım kısım, 3 gün aralıklarla yayınlayacağım. Bu üçüncüsü. İlginize. ...Ve insanlar konuştuğunda devlet dinlemek zorunda olmalı. Bu seferlik, Fransız Hükümeti dinlemek zorunda kaldı. Ama bütün bu süreç içinde uluslararası medyanın tutumu beni en derinden etkileyen konu idi.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-84241768409903918532008-03-08T05:58:00.005-05:002008-12-11T04:18:40.493-05:00

2005 protestoları bence unutulmaması gereken ve üzerinde tartışılması gereken bir olay. Oldukça uzun olduğu için kısım kısım, 3 gün aralıklarla yayınlayacağım. Bu ikincisi. İlginize.Neoliberal Realpolitik batı demokrasisini ciddi şekilde ve çok fazla yerinden hançerliyor.Bu konudaki duruşumu özetlemek için –2005’teki- Fransa’daki protestolardan (veya isyanlardan, veya başkaldırılardan)

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-81118350136412133652008-03-05T04:09:00.004-05:002008-03-05T09:04:44.480-05:00

G.'in googlechat kimliğinde bir youtube şarkısı vardı... Keny Arkana'nın "La Rage Du Peuple." 2005'teki Paris protestoları ve o konuda yazdığım bir yazı aklıma geldi... İki sene önce İngilizce yazdığım bu yazıyı Türkçeye çevirip sizle paylaşmak istedim, çünkü sonuç olarak 2005 protestoları bence unutulmaması ve üzerinde tartışılması gereken bir olay. Oldukça uzun olduğu için kısım kısım, 3

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-56814091022648600682008-02-25T04:55:00.005-05:002008-07-31T18:34:04.037-05:00

About 3-4 years ago, R. gave me a copy of Glenn Gould's two and three part inventions. The moment that I started listening to that CD, I was bewitched. Not in the same manner that I was impressed by Lang Lang's amazing performances.No, I was amazed by something intellectually deep, which I could not put my finger on. There was something with Gould's playing that made me wonder about his

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-46990065677055530832008-02-21T06:20:00.004-05:002008-03-05T06:25:52.126-05:00

Atlas Dergisi için yazdığım yazının Hindistan'da kast sistemini tartıştığım bir kısmı Atlas dergisinin web sitesinde online olarak yayınlandı... Yazı içinBilginize.

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-65477938362184525772008-01-09T09:10:00.001-05:002008-03-05T06:26:06.317-05:00

Sayın editor,Milliyet gazetesinde 07 Ocak 2008’de “Belçikalılar Türk mü?”, Hürriyet Gazetesinde ise 08 Ocak 2008’de “Belçikalı’lar Türk İddiası” başlıkları altında yayınlanan Anadolu Ajansı (AA) kaynaklı haberin içeriği beni ve meslektaşlarımı son derece kaygılandırdı. Sayın Ahmet Arslan’ın kendine münhasır görüşlerinin basının haberlerin doğruluğunu kontrol etmek, aynı konuda olan değişik

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-35344466107940981302008-01-03T07:45:00.000-05:002008-01-03T07:50:24.486-05:00

Serdar Sabri Özkubulay'ın Radikal 2'de 30 Aralık 2007'de yayınlanmış Türkiye'nin Genetik Zenginliği isimli yazısına kısa bir cevap.Merhabalar,30 Aralık 2007 tarihli yazınızı ilgiyle okudum... Her ne kadar bu konunun gündemde olması beni çok mutlu etse de, bu konuda yazarken iki konuda özen göstermenizi rica edeceğim:1. Kullandığınız terminoloji kimi zaman yanlış anlaşılmalara açık... Örneğin

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-33078177291506567702007-12-11T14:17:00.000-05:002007-12-11T14:21:02.326-05:00

Merhaba. Aşağıda Ertuğrul Özkök'ün 23 Şubat 2007 tarihli "Türkler bir Irk mıdır?" başlıklı yazısına (http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/6003915.asp?yazarid=10 ) cevaben yazdığım mektubu bulacaksınız. Bilginize..Sayın Editör,Ankara ve Pensilvanya Üniversitelerinde Anadolu populasyon tarihi üzerinde çalışmalar yapmakta olan bir antropoloğum. Ertuğrul Özkök'ün 23 Şubat 2007 tarihli yazısınızda çok

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-1892354815902664062007-12-11T07:17:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:41.660-05:00

September 6th 2007. 8.30pm. In some small tavern in Split. From my travels in Split, I remember one little room the most. If you ask me what exactly in this room caught my attention, my answer would be simple: Nothing!It was late evening and I had still a couple of long hours to kill in Split, before I catch my bus to Sarajevo. So, I was wandering around the city without any real purpose. One

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-75871549040807982412007-12-05T08:39:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:41.977-05:00

Does writing about the misfortunes of men help? Does glorifying these misfortunes not only for glorifying our own agendas? Do we not convert the raw agony of others into mythical and epic stories of our own creation? And above all, do we not put our names on the stories of others?Human suffering is ugly. The world of people is just like Camus’ Oran, chaotic, corrupt, and generally horrendously

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-71375144678790772352007-11-19T09:28:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:42.077-05:00

Aşağıda, Genom isimli yeni bir kitabın Hikmet Temel Akarsu tarafından yazılmış eleştirisine cevaben yazılmış bir mektubu bulacaksınız.Sayın Akarsu,Matt Ridley'in kitabı ile ilgili yazınızı hem ilgiyle, hem de küçük bir kıskançlıkla okudum, zira aynı kitapla ilgili bir tanıtım yazısını ben de Radikal Kitap'a, bir hafta geç olarak, göndermiştim. Her zamanki zarif üslubunuzla, çok değişik ve ilginç

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-81364320077319416662007-10-19T01:30:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:42.795-05:00

This piece, which was written by Radu Ioviţă (a.k.a. The Hairy Carpathian Sheep), will be read in an adaptation of "Conu Leonida faţă cu reacţiunea" (Mr. Leonida faced with the Reaction) by Ion Luca Caragiale. I think, it is a very insightful and novel look on the issue of multiculturalism. Enjoy.55 years have now passed since Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled their now famous list of

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-59164554175309753982007-10-16T02:49:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:42.986-05:00

Yağmurlu bir gündü... Bilim Kulübünün küçücük odasında sıkış tepiş oturmuş, nefeslerimizle odayı, elimizi yakan yarı erimiş plastik bardaklar içinden yudumladığımız kalitesiz hazır kahve ile de içimizi ısıtıyorduk.Bilimkurgu alt-komisyonunun bilmem kaçıncı toplantısıydı ve Asimov’un evrenini, Frank Herbert’inki ile karşılaştırıyorduk. Hepimiz Asimov’dan gizli gizli zevk alsak da, onun sıradan,

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-42226507441126674232007-10-09T04:28:00.002-05:002008-07-15T01:59:31.764-05:00

Sayın Nuray Mert, 8 Ekim 2007 tarihli “Bilim budalalığı” isimli yazınız, olağandışı olarak, sığ, demogojik ve de entellektüel olarak kısıtlayıcı bulduğumu üzülerek belirtmeliyim. Her ne kadar yazınızda belirttiğiniz üzere, Avrupa Konseyi Parlementerler Meclisi (AKPM) gibi politik bir kurumun, bu tip tartışmalarda açık ve ahlaki bağlamda kararlar alması bana da abes gelse de, siz bu konuya

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-57679257256064733442007-10-08T14:17:00.000-05:002007-10-19T02:41:08.199-05:00

There was a very interesting discussion recently in the anthropology department of Penn. The discussion was stemmed from the NY times article that reported the work of an anthropologist named "Tracy," who works for the American Army in Afghanistan (for the full article:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?hp)Of course, this article entails many ethical and professonal

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-1968523308026441112007-10-08T06:56:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:43.273-05:00

Alone in a hotel room’s balcony. Dark. 11pm. Just after the long trip from Sarajevo. A bottle of wine on the table. Looking at the dark, ancient Adriatic. “Sea. What an amazing, overwhelming, frightening thing. It is natural and poetic; physical and mystical at the same time. Real, as it storms through the coasts of Islands, turning boats upside down, and as it is the home and life of many

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-56713634726449362442007-10-01T06:55:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:43.928-05:00

I was somewhere close to Sarajevo airport. I did not have time. I had to go to a distant city of an old, powerless emperor, but, like all the travelers who do not have a plan; I could not actually go anywhere. It was three hours and 30 miles later that I realized hitchhiking was not the way to go.I managed to make somebody to drive me a to a town center, where I met Samir; a big, blue eyed fellow

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-78965957296693798632007-09-26T04:18:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:44.183-05:00

WAR!!!That was all I could think about when our small plane arrived at the Sarejevo airport. I was sad, I was troubled, I was worried. I knew Sarejevo from many places. I read about the town where many were killed by Serbian shells. I read about a bridge, which failed to survive, yet revived. I read about a woman, who lost not only her legs, but her kids as well. I read the story of the Pakistani

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-22733927501549403332007-08-06T06:14:00.001-05:002008-12-11T04:18:45.790-05:00

Biliyorsunuz Alman sahnelerinde,Herkes istediğini deneyebilir;Bugün de dekor ve makineleri,Esirgemenizi beklemiyorum.Kullanın,Büyük ve küçük gökyüzü ışıklarını,Yıldızları da harcayabilirsiniz.Su, ateş ve kayalıklar,Hayvanlar ve kuşlar,Hepsi bol miktarda mevcut.Böylece, bu dar ahşap sahnemizde,Boy gösterir bütün yaratılış;Ve ölçülü bir hızla,Gökten başlayıp dünyaya geçer,Sonunda da cehenneme gider

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-69588478381483060432007-08-06T05:36:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:46.374-05:00

Frankfurt’un olmayacak kadar modern ve temiz ve yeni ve mükemmelliliğinin içinde üzerinden geçip gitmiş savaşın izlerini taşıyan havaalına indim bir Pazartesi... İçim bir yandan E.’yi görecek olmanın kıpırtısı, bir yandan da yeni bir ülkeye gelmenin o içimde mayhoş bir tad bırakan aroması ile karmakarışıktı. Haubtbahnoff yazısını izleyerek ulaştığım devasa terminalde bir elimde yeni çıkmış Harry

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-88282458967901314302007-07-24T06:34:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:46.804-05:00

The 2007 elections were interesting... What I will write is nothing new, and nothing insightful. It is just a personal reading of the situation...First of all, I am proud of my people... No fights, almost flawless election with no disputes and more than 84 percent of the population voted. This is very very encouraging...I see AK party is a populist, center-right, and extremely practical party...

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-63427902422784581682007-07-18T16:45:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:47.465-05:00

Getting fat is an important intellectual challenge.No! I am not talking about the health issues, or the great nostalgia (i.e. Oh, God! I was 10 kilograms less two years ago). I am not even talking about the social implications of getting fat.No!I am talking about the great intellectual quest of seeking coherence and getting fat is fundamentally related to the existential search for the meaning of

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-13889363772902552482007-01-31T04:27:00.000-05:002008-12-11T04:18:47.615-05:00

I finally had some time to read some Karl Popper, and also some Adorno. I am particularly interested in the conflicts in these philosophers' understanding of the "rational progress," "enlightenment" and "knowledge"Note to Reader: We have been talking about these issues for a while with a friend. I decided to initiate a written conversation, so that we can discuss this issue.My take home message

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-41535322147948776522006-11-28T10:24:00.000-05:002007-10-09T06:15:26.033-05:00

Hayat devam ediyor. Dünkü yağmurun damlacıkları daha kurumadan ve hatta daha güneş açmadan once de devam ediyordu, şimdi de… Bugün hava açık. Devamlı muzurluklar planlayan, binbir türlü gariplikler kuran kafacıklarımızın üstünde, aşağıda neler olup bittiğine pek aldırmayan rüzgarlar ve de bilge görünüp içlerinde ne hinlikler gizleyen bulutlar ülkesinde keyifler yerinde anlaşılan. Bizim

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-87579658111408472362006-11-02T16:58:00.001-05:002007-10-09T06:15:26.033-05:00

Yilmaz Arguden'in yazisiMerhaba,Gündüz Aktan'ın konuşmasını dinleme fırsatı bulmuştum geçen sene, Columbia Üniversitesinde. Türkiye lobicilerinin, bence en mantıklısı ve en akıllıca konuşanıi olarak beni etkilemişti açıkçası konuşması.Sayin Argüden'in yazisi da Gunduz Bey'in akillica konusmasini yansitiyor ve önemli belgelerden alıntılar içeriyor.Ancak, yine de sonuçta verilen mesaj, benim için

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-27721847683994789022006-10-01T17:32:00.000-05:002007-10-09T06:15:26.033-05:00

Son iki haftadir gazete okudunuz mu bilmiyorum. Ama, BBC News'ten Hurriyet'e, NYtimes'tan Zaman'a, El Cezire'den India-Times'a her yerde Olum, siddet, anlasmazlik, ve mutsuzluk var. Moralim bozuldu biraz. Moralimin bozuklugu sadece son iki haftada olanlar degil, cok daha kotu haftalari hepimiz biliyoruz. Daha ziyade medyaya yansiyan siddetin, daha fazla siddet yaratacak bir zemin

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-43012433928770635402006-08-03T17:23:00.000-05:002007-10-09T06:15:26.034-05:00

I play soccer every Sunday. It is great. How can you argue with a game in which western Europeans and the rest of the world (the poor lot) interact, and the Americans do not make the rules? In addition, soccer helps me to control my ever-growing belly, which, as a concept, is essential for any serious academic, but should be controlled nevertheless.Last Sunday, during this soccer game

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-82751952683620258012006-06-02T17:44:00.000-05:002007-10-09T06:15:26.034-05:00

Last year's AAAs was an interesting experience for me. I attended panels that discuss human origins from a very 'scientific' perspective, and just after that panel, I rushed to another where speakers dwelled on "molecularization of race". As much as I enjoyed most of the talks individually, I realized that our community is really divided. In fact, I painfully observed that the divide between

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-59133818116351473042006-05-15T17:41:00.000-05:002007-10-09T06:15:26.034-05:00

I am delighted to hear that France actually will not go through with the youth job law, which might or might not be beneficial for the people economically. I am happy that the French government had to listen. My interest in this issue is centered in two intermingled arguments, which overwhelmingly dominated the major media (BBC and NYT): the constant insistence of realpolitik and the

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239951356100824403.post-20886706063784545902006-05-02T17:50:00.000-05:002007-10-09T06:17:48.909-05:00

During fieldwork in Central Anatolia , I learned that cancer was a major cause of mortality in the region. My contacts told me that many fellow villagers had died in recent years, and this has been the trend for generations. They immediately added that the reason behind the disease was fate and the will of God. For these people, the cancers were unchanging facts-of-life that had to be accepted

Omer Gokcumenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16153950396208889907noreply@blogger.com0