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Reimagining Everyday Life: De Certeau, Agamben, Deleuze and Baudrillard in Dialogue
No full textBu tez, aldatıcı biçimde basit bir soruyla yola çıkar: Gündelik hayatı başka türlü nasıl düşünebiliriz ve bu türden bir sorgulama neden önemlidir? Bu sorudan hareketle, yirminci yüzyılın önemli dört düşünürü-Michel de Certeau, Giorgio Agamben, Gilles Deleuze (Félix Guattari ile birlikte) ve Jean Baudrillard-aracılığıyla 'taktik', 'dünyevileştirme', 'kaçış çizgisi' ve 'baştan çıkarma' kavramlarını bir araya getirerek gündelik hayatın imkânlarını yeniden düşünmeyi amaçlar. Bu çalışmada ele alınan düşünürler, gündelik hayatın tahakküm/direniş ya da üretim/tüketim gibi ikili mantıklardan sapma, bu mantıkları askıya alma ya da tersine çevirme yoluyla işlediğini gösteren kavramsal jestler geliştirirler. Bu jestlere dayanan alternatif gündelik hayat yaklaşımı, görünürlük, üretkenlik ya da karşıtlık yerine edilgenlik, örtüklük ve geri çekilme temelli bir mantığı öne çıkarır. Aynı anda hem mevcut hem de ele avuca sığmaz olan bu paradoksal mantık, süreksizlik, çokluk ve kararsızlıkla uyumlu bir eleştirel düşünme tarzını da beraberinde getirir. Bu bağlamda tez, gündelik hayatla kurulan eleştirel ilişkinin ifşa veya çözümleme zorunluluğunun ötesine geçmesi gerektiğini; bunun yerine tersinme, oyun, kaçış ve reddediş gibi jestler aracılığıyla sıradan olanın dokusuna ve içkin gerilimlerine duyarlı bir yaklaşım gerektirdiğini savunur.Sonuç olarak, bu tez, gündelik hayatı düşünce, eylem ve ilişki koordinatlarını askıya alan ve yeniden dağıtan; yerinden etme, kesinti, denk düşmezlik ve yeniden icatla işaretlenen karmaşık ve istikrarsız bir alan olarak yeniden kavramsallaştırır. Bu yolla hem kültürel çalışmalar ile toplumsal teori arasında yeni bir diyalog zemini önerir, hem de çağdaş dünyada gündelik hayatı yeniden düşünmeye yönelik eleştirel ve politik bir ufuk açmayı amaçlar.This thesis begins with a deceptively simple question: how can we think of everyday life otherwise, and why does such questioning matter? Drawing on four major thinkers of the late twentieth century-Michel de Certeau, Giorgio Agamben, Gilles Deleuze (with Félix Guattari), and Jean Baudrillard- it brings together the concepts of 'tactics', 'profanation', 'line of flight', and 'seduction' to reimagine the stakes of everyday life. It contends that the thinkers examined here offer conceptual gestures that illuminate the interruptions, suspensions, and reversals through which everyday life exceeds or escapes binary logics such as domination/resistance or production/consumption. This alternative orientation to the everyday, building on these gestures, leads the thesis to propose a logic of the everyday rooted in passivity, opacity, and withdrawal rather than visibility, productivity, or opposition. This paradoxical logic -at once present and elusive- also invites forms of critique attuned to discontinuity, multiplicity, and the undecidable. It suggests that critical engagement with everyday life must move beyond the imperative to unveil or decode towards tactful sensitivity to the textures and tensions of the ordinary, in terms of reversibility, play, escape, and refusal. Ultimately, this thesis offers a reconceptualization of everyday life as a complex and unstable field, one that suspends and redistributes the coordinates of thought, action, and relation, and is marked by displacement, interruption, non-coincidence, and reinvention. By doing so, it invites a renewed dialogue between cultural studies and social theory, and open up new critical and political horizons for reimagining everyday life in the contemporary moment
Taxless Finance for Local Governments of Turkey: Corrupt but Competent
No full textBu tez, Türkiye'deki belirli yerel yönetimlerin kentsel arazilerin ticarileştirilmesi ve inşaata açılması ile elde edilen gelirin, yani vergisiz elde edilen finansın, yerel yönetim bütçelerine olan etkisini ve yaratılan kentsel rantın dağıtım kanallarını incelemektedir. Kentsel arazilerin ticarileştirilmesi, özellikle hızlı kentleşme dönemlerinde inşaat faaliyetlerine uygulanan ücretler yoluyla yerel hükümet gelirlerini artırmakta önemli bir rol oynayabilir. Bu tür faaliyetlere uygulanan ücretler, vergilerde herhangi bir artış olmadan yerel bütçeleri büyütebilir. Bu yöntem literatürde vergisiz (kamu) finansmanı olarak adlandırılır. Değerli kamu arazilerinin kalkınma için tahsisi yolsuzlukla ilişkilendirilebilir. Bu nedenle, hızlı kentleşme dönemlerinde yerel siyasetin görünüşte çelişkili karakterleri üzerine tartışılabilir: yolsuz ama yetkin yöneticiler. Son 40 yılda Çin'deki hızlı kentleşme, literatürde bu tür uygulamaların özü olarak kabul edilir. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye için vergisiz finansman tahminleri üreterek literatüre katkıda bulunulmaktadır. Ampirik analizde, bu tür gelirlerin yerel hükümet bütçelerindeki payı tahmin edilmektedir. 2007-2022 dönemi için bilanço verilerini yapı kullanım ve ruhsat izni verileriyle birleştirilmesinin ardından, ilk olarak, 2018'e kadar yerel gelirlerde gerçek bir artış ve sonrasında yapı kullanım eğilimlerine paralel olarak keskin bir düşüş gözlemlenmiştir. Daha sonra inşaatla ilgili faaliyetlerden elde edilen gelir payları tahmin edilmiştir. İstanbul belediyeleri için arazi ticarileştirmeyle ilgili gelirlerin ortalama payı %6-46 aralığındadır. Bir kıyas noktası olarak, arazi ticarileştirmesinden elde edilen belediye gelirleri, 2000'lerde Çin'deki belirli yerel yönetim gelirlerinin %16-46'sını oluşturmaktadır (Lin & Zhang, 2014).This thesis examines the impact of the revenue generated by the commercialization of urban lands by local governments in Turkey, namely taxless finance, on local government budgets. Commercialization of urban land can benefit local government coffers via land sales and permitting fees levied on construction activities, especially during periods of rapid urbanization. Land sales and fees levied on such activities can increase local budgets without increasing taxes, i.e. taxless [public] finance. However, allocation of valuable public land for development can be rife with corruption. Hence the seemingly contradictory character of local politics in periods of rapid urbanization: corrupt but competent administrators. Rapid urbanization in China in the last 40 years is considered the epitome of such practices. This thesis contributes to literature by generating estimates for taxless finance for Turkey. In the empirical analysis, the share of such revenues within the local government budgets is estimated. For that, balance sheet data is combined with building usage and license permit data for the period 2007-2022. First of all, a real increase in local revenues until 2018 and sharp downturn afterwards parallel to building usage trends were observed. Then revenue shares from construction related activities estimated: average share of land commercialization related revenues are in the range of 6-46% for Istanbul municipalities. As a benchmark, Municipal revenues from land commercialization accounts for 16-46% of certain local government revenues in China in 2000s (Lin & Zhang, 2014)
Smartphone Selection with HF-MEREc and HF-MEREc
No full textIn the rapidly changing world of e-commerce logistics, selecting the best custom-designed smartphone is crucial for operational efficiency. Motivated by this need, in this study, a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is presented for assessing custom-designed smartphones for a crowdsourced e-commerce logistics firm in Turkey, HepsiJET. This approach addresses various possibly contradictory qualitative and quantitative criteria, requiring a hybrid MCDM method like the proposed HF-MEREC-COBRA (hesitant fuzzy - Method based on the Removal Effects of Criteria - Comprehensive Distance Based Ranking) for decision-making. The HF-MEREC-COBRA method uses the hesitant fuzzy Method based on the Removal Effects of Criteria (HF-MEREC) to compute criteria weights, followed by the use of hesitant fuzzy Comprehensive Distance Based Ranking (HF-COBRA) to evaluate and rank smartphone options. Integration of MEREC and COBRA methods with the use of Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Term Sets (HFLTS) and the concept of hesitant fuzzy sets (HFS), namely HF-MEREC-COBRA, has never been studied in the literature. For comparative analysis, the HF-MEREC-TOPSIS (HF-MEREC-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method is also applied to the same problem. A case study is conducted where five smartphone alternatives are evaluated by five expert decision-makers (DMs) using twenty-seven evaluation criteria. Both HF-MEREC-COBRA and HF-MEREC-TOPSIS methods yielded the same ranking, which resulted in Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 128 GB 8 GB Ram (A2) being the best alternative. A sensitivity analysis is performed, revealing that HF-MEREC-COBRA maintains strong robustness against moderate variations, up to ±40%, in criterion weights. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)
Editorial Boards of Finance Journals: The Gender Gap and Social Networks
No full textSkaftadottir, Hanna Kristin/0000-0001-5228-8294; Shkurti, Rezarta/0000-0002-2126-2339; Paccagnini, Alessia/0000-0002-2421-7242We investigate gender disparities and network linkages among editors of Finance journals at the end of 2022. The role of journal editors in shaping academic disciplines is crucial, yet gender imbalances and the geographic concentration of editors remain poorly understood. Ethical considerations arise when examining the representation of women on editorial boards, as these imbalances can impact academic equity and the diversity of perspectives. We examine the gender composition of editorial boards and uncover the network structures among editors, seeking to shed light on the concentration of editorial power and its implications for diversity and inclusion. Our findings reveal that women account for an average of 20% of all editors, with notable variations across countries. Additionally, editorial affiliations are heavily concentrated in the United States and the United Kingdom. Through typological metrics, we identify highly connected editors with significant board memberships. While gender ratios remain consistent in substructures involving highly central editors or those serving on multiple boards, men consistently outnumber women.Horizon 2020 [CA19130]; COST Action [101119635]; Marie Sklstrok;odowska-Curie Actions under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program for the Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance; European Union [760034/23.05.2023, PNRR-C9-I8-CF255/29.11.2022]; Romanian Government, under National Recovery and Resilience Plan for Romania; Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, within Component 9 [2022]; Investment I8" [2023]; Woman in Fintech III [2023]; Gender Equality and Women's Economic Empowerment in Time of Crisis, Tbilisi [2023]; NCHU, Taichung, TaiwanThis work was supported by COST Action CA19130 "Fintech and Artificial Intelligence in Finance-Towards a Transparent Financial Industry" within the Diversity Group and Virtual Grant. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of the Marie Sk & lstrok;odowska-Curie Actions under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program for the Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance, acronym: DIGITAL, Project No. 101119635, within the Diversity Team. Codruta Mare acknowledges that this work was also supported by the project "A better understanding of socio-economic systems using quantitative methods from Physics" funded by the European Union-NextgenerationEU and the Romanian Government, under National Recovery and Resilience Plan for Romania, contract no 760034/23.05.2023, cod PNRR-C9-I8-CF255/29.11.2022, through the Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, within Component 9, Investment I8". We thank comments and feedback from participants of Woman in Fintech II, University of Tirana, Albania (2022), Woman in Fintech III, University of Coimbra, Portugal (2023), Gender Equality and Women's Economic Empowerment in Time of Crisis, Tbilisi, Georgia (2023), and Moving to Digital Finance, NCHU, Taichung, Taiwan (2023). We thank Federica Pazzaglia and Luca Pistilli for their invaluable suggestions
Entangled Histories, Healing Spaces: Ecological and Therapeutic Dimensions in Hale Tenger’s Appearance
No full textThis visual essay explores the intersections of contemporary art, relational aesthetics and therapeutic potential through an analysis of Hale Tenger’s Appearance (2019), a mixed-media and sound installation created for the 16th Istanbul Biennial. The work integrates volcanic obsidian mirrors and a poetic soundscape to evoke themes of introspection, agency and humanity’s relationship with nature. While not explicitly framed within art therapy, Appearance exemplifies relational perspectives that resonate with therapeutic principles, fostering emotional engagement and ecological awareness. Tenger’s work invites reflection on interconnectedness and healing, offering a model for how contemporary art can facilitate transformative experiences. This visual essay argues that Appearance provides a valuable lens for understanding the potential of art to create safe, reflective spaces, contributing to broader dialogues on the intersections of applied arts, health and environmental consciousness. © 2025 Intellect Ltd
Kant on the Ontological Argument for the Existence of God: Why Conceivability Does Not Entail Real Possibility
No full textIn the ontological argument for the existence of God, Descartes famously argues that the idea of God is the idea of a perfect being. As such, the idea of God must combine all of the perfections. Now, as (necessary) existence is a perfection, God must exist. Leibniz criticized Descartes' argument, pointing out that it rests upon the hidden assumption that God is possible. Leibniz argues, however, that God is really possible because realities cannot oppose one another, and so there could be no real opposition between the perfections. So, at least in the case of God, conceivability entails real possibility. Kant rejects this assumption and insists that the non-contradictoriness of an idea is not an adequate criterion for the real possibility of the object of the idea, for although predicates may be combined in thought to form a concept, this does not entail the properties they indicate may be so combined in reality. For this reason, Kant believes that it is impossible to prove the real possibility of God, and so the ontological argument is not sound. In this paper, I examine Kant's reasons for reaching this conclusion. I pay particular attention to Kant's argument in the Amphiboly, which deals with the concepts of agreement and opposition, and where Kant stresses the importance of the distinction between logical and real opposition. I will argue that this distinction plays a crucial role in Kant's rejection of the ontological argument and rationalist Leibnizian-Wolffian metaphysics in general. I also show how Kant's rejection of the possibility of what he calls the complete determination of a concept in the Ideal of Pure Reason, plays a role in his rejection of the conceivability entails real possibility principle.Bogazici University, BAP Project [9320]This research was funded by Bogazici University, BAP Project, Number 9320
Respiratory System-Based in Vitro Antiviral Drug Repurposing Strategies for Sars-Cov
No full textTo date, no known drug therapy is available for COVID-19. Further, the complicated vaccination processes like limited infrastructure, insufficient know-how, and regulatory restrictions on vaccines caused this pandemic episode more badly. Due to the lack of ready-to-use vaccination, millions of people have been severely infected by SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, the increasing contagion risk of the SARS-CoV-2 variants makes drug repurposing studies more critical. Conventionally, antiviral drug repurposing has been conducted on two-dimensional (2D) cell culture systems or in vivo-based experimental setups. Recently, In vitro three-dimensional (3D) cell culture techniques have proven more coherent in mimicking host-pathogen interactions and exploring or repurposing drugs than other 2D cell culture methods. 3D culture techniques like organoids, bioprinting, and microfluidics/organ-on-a-chip have just been started to mimic the natural microenvironment respiratory system infected with SARS-CoV-2. These techniques avoid the need for animals in agreement with the 3R principles (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) to enhance animal welfare. Herein, SARS-CoV-2-host interaction and 3D cell culture techniques have been. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
Did ETS Coverage and Free Allowances Affect Economic Performance and GHG Emissions in the EU?: Evidence From a Panel of EU Sectors
No full textThis study analyzes the impacts of the European Union Emissions Trading System and free allowances on sectoral value added, gross output, and greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union for the period 1995-2020. Since the European Union Emissions Trading System inherently covers firm-level emissions, most studies in this area have been conducted at the firm level. However, a sectoral analysis allows understanding how sectors as a whole respond to the carbon pricing mechanism in terms of carbon reductions, competitiveness and sectoral output growth. It can also reveal how changes differ across sectors subject to different regulations. Controlling for sectoral employment, intermediate input use, and time effects, the results show that European Union Emissions Trading System coverage has a negative impact on both value added and gross output, but does not lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The findings indicate that more labor-intensive and less input-intensive production can reduce emissions. Furthermore, the study draws attention to the competitive losses caused by compliance costs in sectors within the scope of the European Union Emissions Trading System and shows that the impact of free allowances on performance is insufficient. These results highlight the importance of coherent and inclusive approaches in policy design to more effectively manage the economic and environmental impacts of the European Union Emissions Trading System. It is recommended to develop more targeted and flexible strategies, taking into account sectoral differences.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUBITAK) [123K509]; TUBITAKThis study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUBITAK) under Grant Number 123K509. The authors thank TUBITAK for their support. We also acknowledge the constructive comments from the above-mentioned project group to a former version of the current study. The authors declare no conflict of interest
State-Building Processes in Limited-Recognized States: The Case of the Republic of Abkhazia
No full textBu tez çalışması Abhazya Cumhuriyeti örneğini merkeze alarak, tartışmalı devletlik durumlarında devlet inşa süreçlerini nasıl şekillendirdiğini incelemektedir. Niteliksel saha araştırmasına dayanan çalışma; seçkinlerle yapılan görüşmeler, söylem çözümlemesi ve arşiv araştırmalarından yararlanmaktadır. Abhaz siyasal elitlerinin, entelektüellerinin ve diaspora aktörlerinin sınırlı tanınma koşullarında devletlik anlatılarını nasıl oluşturduklarını, dışsal kısıtları nasıl yönettiklerini ve yönetişim yapılarını nasıl sürdürdüklerini ele almaktadır. Analiz altı ana tema etrafında yapılandırılmıştır: devletlik ve meşruiyet anlatıları; kimlik inşası ve ulusal söylem; Rusya'nın dış egemenlik üzerindeki rolü; kurumsal zorluklar ve gayriresmî yönetişim; diaspora etkileşimi ve ulusötesi bağlantılar; ekonomik uyum stratejileri. Bulgular, sınırlı tanınmanın hem iç siyasal dinamikleri hem de dış politika yönelimini önemli ölçüde etkilediğini göstermektedir. Abhazya, diplomatik izolasyona karşılık tarihsel deneyimlere, melez yönetişim düzenlemelerine ve ulusötesi bağlantılara dayanan kurumsal pratikler ve siyasal anlatılar geliştirmiştir. Bu tez, sınırlı tanınan devletlerin uluslararası sistemde otorite, meşruiyet ve hayatta kalma süreçlerini nasıl müzakere ettiklerine dair daha derin bir kavrayış sunmakta ve siyasal belirsizlik ile jeopolitik kısıtlar altında devlet inşasının dinamiklerine ilişkin yeni içgörüler sağlamaktadır.This dissertation examines how limited international recognition shapes state-building processes in cases of contested statehood, using the Republic of Abkhazia as a central case study. Based on qualitative fieldwork, the study draws on elite interviews, discourse analysis, and archival research. It examines how Abkhazian political elites, intellectuals, and diaspora actors construct narratives of statehood, manage external constraints, and sustain governance structures under limited recognition. The analysis is structured around six key themes: narratives of statehood and legitimacy; identity construction and national discourse; Russia's role in external sovereignty; institutional challenges and informal governance; diaspora engagement and transnational links and economic adaptation strategies. The findings demonstrate that limited recognition significantly influences both internal political dynamics and foreign policy orientation. In response to diplomatic isolation, Abkhazia has developed institutional practices and political narratives rooted in historical experiences, hybrid governance arrangements and transnational connections. This dissertation contributes to a deeper understanding of how limited-recognized states negotiate authority, legitimacy and survival in the international system, offering new insights into the dynamics of state-building under conditions of political ambiguity and geopolitical constraint