By: Hambersom Aghbashian
Maya Arakon (born 1972 in Istanbul) is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Süleyman Şah University (Istanbul).
After graduating from Notre Dame De Sion French High School in 1991, she continued her higher education at Marmara University- Department of Political Science and Public Administration (licensed 1995). She completed her first M.Sc degree (European Union) in 1997, at Marmara University-European Community Institute . Her second M.Sc degree (European Union and Defense Sciences-1999), and PhD degree (Terrorism, Security and Defense Sciences- 2007), were both completed at Robert Schuman University (Strasbourg, France), and her Post Doctorate in 2009, at Paris University-Political Science Institute- International Research and Science Center (Paris-France).(1)
Maya Arakon was one of the Turkish intellectuals who signed a petition against Denialist Exhibit in Denmark, an exhibition which was planned by the Turkish embassy to support their point of view concerning the Armenian Genocide . ” Don’t Stand Against Turkey’s Democratization and Confrontation with its History! ” was the message to the Royal Library of Denmark who has given the Turkish government the opportunity to present an “alternative exhibit” in response to the Armenian Genocide exhibition.(2)
In his article “White Turks, Black Turks and grey debate”, (Hürriyet Daily News – Nov.22.2010), Özgur Ögret asked Maya Arakon to define “White Turks” . She described them as “sympathizers of the Kemalist ideology who perceive themselves as the founders of the Republi ; therefore, a group uneasy with Kurds and religious people, who they believe should be “educated and modernized.” Ögret commented in his article that “According to Arakon, White Turks lack a democratic perspective on human rights and thus cannot truly be Westernized.” Unfortunately, this is the ideology of the most members of the current Turkish government. (3)
According to PanARMENIAN.Net (April 1, 2010), “Some representatives of Turkish intelligentsia urge Turkey, which seeks EU membership, follow Serbian parliament’s example, which recently condemned the 1995 killings of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and apologize to Armenians for 1915 Genocide. The offer was advanced by Maya Arakon, assistant professor of International Relations from Yeditepe University and Soli Özel, professor of International Relations and Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University. According to Maya Arakon, Serbia which seeks EU membership, tries to whitewash its past; Turkey can initiate similar steps regarding Genocide issue”. (4)
——————————————————————————————————————————————
1- http://www.ssu.edu.tr/dokumanlar/cv/mayaarakon.pdf
2-http://www.aga-online.org/signature/detail.php?locale=am&alertId=6
3- http://archive.today/9wPza#selection-1193.0-1193.415
4- http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world/news/46423/
also published on
Nor Or, July 31, 2014