✏️ Ever wonder about the lives of faculty and staff outside of the classroom? Please welcome our next guest – Anil Duman, Associate Professor in Department of Political Science, and Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations at CEU.
Check out the weekly spot from our MA students Burcu Kısaç and Dauren Koptleuov: interviews, in which our dear faculty and staff tell about the other part of their lives – the one you’ve always been afraid to ask about!
Q: What are your hobbies and interests?
A: Traveling, but lately I have not been able to visit new places besides traveling for academic activities. It is a pity that most conferences do not allow almost any engagement with the places they are organized. Also, I am very much interested in handcraft, yet again not allocating enough time in recent years. I used to sew, design accessories and at the very beginner level do marbling, which all help me to clear my mind and concentrate better.
Q: What blogs, websites or media outlets do you visit regularly?
A: I am still quite old school in this sense as I get most of the news from newspapers and related websites. There are also several people that I follow on Facebook and Twitter, and use their posts as sources. In terms of regularity, I visit Birgun and Bianet on Turkey, NPR, Open Democracy and Guardian on international news. Also, Project Syndicate is a website that I like to read opinions and comments about a variety of topics including political economy and foreign policy.
Q: Describe yourself as a student.
A: I have been a determined but not a competitive student. When I chose my undergraduate degree or when I went to PhD program, I knew what I aspire for, and so far I am quite happy with my choices. Although, I have to say that I genuinely disliked economics until I began to take elective classes and was introduced a wider range of schools of thought. The dominance of neoclassical economics in that discipline is outrageous and unfair. I was lucky enough to have instructors that introduced me to new ways of thinking as well as making me to want to improve myself as an intellectual, which is a work in progress:)
Q: What is the last movie and/or book that genuinely impressed you?
A: Reading fiction is my true passion, and I try to keep up with the literary world. There are many contemporary Turkish authors; Ayfer Tunc, Hamdi Koc, Hikmet Hukumenoglu among others that I enjoy very much. However, they are not translated into other languages yet, so if I have to name a recent book that is available in English, I would go with The Sympathizer. With the movie, it is much easier, Parasite, it is such a powerful portrayal of poverty and inequality.
Q: If you had a chance to invite anyone to a dinner party, who would it be and why?
A: Ursula K. Le Guin and Frida Kahlo. I want to surround myself with smart and artsy women, who affected my life unknowingly.
Q: What is your ideal Friday night-out?
A: It is going to sound cliché but simply dining with friends or watching a good movie. Even when I was a student I didn’t like to go out on a Friday night or weekend. Still trying to avoid crowded places as much as I can.
Q: What, in your view, are the challenges that women might still face in academia?
A: Unfortunately, the gender imbalances in academia, especially in some disciplines are still rather acute and persistent. For example, research in certain areas is largely dominated by males or if you look at the number of female professors versus male professors, there are clear differences at the expense of the former. Even in course evaluations, it has been shown that there is negative bias towards female instructors. Although, I have not suffered personally in my current institution from any discrimination, I feel sexism and boys club attitude in some of the academic events I attend outside of CEU. And I am pretty sure that majority of my female colleagues have similar encounters. We have great achievements at the same time in terms of making gender issues more visible and pushing policy changes. Yet, many of the problems we face today are deeply rooted in our societies’ fabric that it takes an extremely long time to see any real progress.
Q: What one advice would you give to our students?
A: Read but not only non-fiction or requirements for a class. For me, fiction is sometimes the best learning tool. All theories must come from somewhere and hardly any idea springs from nothing. Literacy and reading in general to me are the seeds that you can breed new ideas from. Also, I found it unhealthy that students want to be experts in a topic and pursue this all their lives. Knowledge is cumulative and there is a lot to learn from other areas, disciplines and peers. Use all the advantages of being in an international university.
Thank you very much for your time!