Speakers: Ezgi Basaran, Tia O’Brien, Nur Deriş, James Meyer, Jame Ryan
Chair: Benjamin Fortna
Convener: Ottoman Turkish Studies Association (OTSA)
Date: 13 May 2022
Tia O’Brien (Journalist & Editor) and Nur Deriş (Conference Interpreter), who edited the English translation of Sabiha Sertel’s autobiography, are also relatives of Sertel. At the fifth session of the OTSA Co-Op, they will introduce their pioneering relative, the nation’s first professional female journalist, and her autobiography, which chronicles Sertel’s unrelenting push for democracy and social reforms, ending in exile. James Meyer (Montana State University) and James Ryan (New York University) will talk about their experience teaching the book in their classes. Ezgi Başaran (Journalist) will reflect on Sertel’s experiences from the perspective of a contemporary journalist in Turkey. The session will be chaired by Benjamin Fortna (University of Arizona).