İstanbul Medeniyet University hosted the 8th Congress of the Turkish Women Philosophers Society, held on November 27–28, 2025, with the theme of "War and Philosophy." The congress, which brought together researchers from various universities, provided an important platform for the multifaceted philosophical discussion of the phenomenon of war and violence through 11 sessions and 36 presentations.
The opening speeches were delivered by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at İstanbul Medeniyet University, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Koçak, and the Head of the Philosophy Department, Prof. Dr. Yaylagül Ceran Karataş. In their speeches, they drew attention to the ethical, political, social, and epistemological dimensions of the phenomenon of war, emphasizing the critical and transformative potential of philosophical thought during times of conflict.
The first day of the congress continued with an intensive program consisting of three main sessions. In concurrent sessions, a wide range of themes was discussed, including the philosophical foundations of war, feminist critiques of war, the ethical aspects of digital warfare, the analysis of war and violence from a gender perspective, historical testimonies, memory studies, and the philosophical background of post-war policies. Participants re-evaluated the phenomenon of war through the perspectives of thinkers such as Kant, Levinas, Simone Weil, and Hannah Arendt. The sessions held at the end of the day addressed war and women's experience, mourning, witnessing, exile, ontological ruptures, and forms of philosophical resistance within the context of literature and art.
The second-day program, which began on Friday, November 28, opened with an invited presentation by Zeynep Gemuhluoğlu titled “Seyf-i Rahmân: The Sword and the Breath – Existence and War in Sufi Thought.” The presentation offered a striking evaluation of the meanings the phenomenon of war takes on in the Sufi tradition.
The second day's sessions covered the aesthetic representations of war, digital violence, the positioning of the female body in the context of war, biopolitics, technological transformation, and ethical and epistemological dimensions. The sessions also included comprehensive evaluations of the cultural impacts of war, using examples from ancient tragedies, modern war narratives, and cinema.
Throughout the two days of the congress, the ethical, political, technological, and gender dimensions of war were discussed in parallel sessions. Participants debated the meaning, effects, and current reflections of war through a wide spectrum of thinkers, ranging from Kant to Levinas, Arendt to Simone Weil, Schmitt to Agamben, and Butler.
The panel session held at the end of the second day presented a comprehensive assessment of the academic visibility, experiences, and educational processes of women in philosophy in Turkey. It was stated that the core foundations of the TÜBİTAK-supported project, “Women in Philosophy in the 100th Year of the Republic,” were established at a symposium also organized by the İstanbul Medeniyet University Philosophy Department, and that the interim reports of the research findings were also shared under the same roof. The panel concluded with a discussion on the interim report findings and strengthening the academic representation of women philosophers in Turkey.
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