“Gender Equality in Turkey”

In honor of the late Sakıp Sabancı, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, the Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards will be given for the 9th time this year at a ceremony hosted by Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı and President A. Nihat Berker on Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum the Seed.

Given by Sabancı University in fields including Turkish and Islamic art, and the history, economy and sociology of Turkey, the Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards will be given in “Gender Equality in Turkey” this year.

The theme was chosen because despite significant efforts and progress toward reducing the gender gap in its economic, political and social life, Turkey has fallen short of realizing the goal of gender equality by most standards. To cite only one assessment, it ranks 124th out of 135 countries in World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report in 2012. It is thus as urgent as ever to understand the nature and extent of gender-based inequalities in Turkey in their structural dimensions and diverse patterns, as well as to recognize and evaluate the scope and impact of the achievements in the direction of equality. This requires a consideration of the interconnections between different domains of the gender regime in Turkey, from economic and political practices that prevent equal empowerment, to the taken-for-granted forms of everyday gendered behavior, the propagation of patriarchal values, or the restrictions on sexuality and gender identity rights. Such a consideration will benefit from alternative conceptualizations of persisting problems, proposals for new countervailing strategies, and the contextualization of issues of gender equality in different theoretical and comparative frameworks.

Sabancı University Gender and Women’s Studies Forum Director Sibel Irzık will speak at the ceremony on behalf of the jury panel consisting of internationally-distinguished scholars from Turkey and the world.  The Jury Prize will be given for the third time this year.

About the Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards:
•    All entries, which may be coauthored, must be new and original works, not published previously in any form.
•    Essays must be of the format and size of a regular academic journal article (25 to 35 pages, in double-space format, including references).
•    An abstract of 500 words embedded into the original essay and a short CV of the author(s) are required.
•    Entries must be submitted in English, in the form of a Word document to the following address: http://award.sabanciuniv.edu/submityourentry/
•    A series of Essay Awards will also be given to researchers under 45 years of age. Th¬is category includes 10,000 USD for each of three award-winning essays selected by the same jury panel from among submissions made for the competition.
•    Th¬e Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award entails a Jury Prize for 25,000 USD on the above-mentioned theme.  The Jury Prize will be awarded to an individual who has made distinguished contributions in this theme.  The same jury will select this Awardee.

For further information: http://award.sabanciuniv.edu

Program
Date:      Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Time:      7:15 pm Welcome
               7:30 pm Awards Ceremony
               8:30 pm Refreshments
Place:     Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum, the Seed