By Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, January 18, 2019
The first issue of Maduniyet, a journal focusing on the socio-political issues of the Middle East and Iran, has recently been published in Ankara, Turkey.
In an interview with Voice of America, the journal’s editor-in-chief and Middle East expert, Arif Keskin, stated: "Maduniyet aims to highlight the stories of those who are silenced and whose experiences are deliberately overlooked in the Middle East and Iran." In Turkish, madun corresponds to the concept of the "subaltern," representing marginalized or oppressed groups excluded from dominant power structures.
Using Iran as an example, Keskin noted that discussions about its nuclear program have overshadowed the challenges faced by its communities:
"For instance, there are hundreds of articles on Iran's nuclear issue, and numerous reports from various research centers delve into this topic. However, it is nearly impossible to find writings from these centers about the status of women in Iran. People learn about the nuclear issue, but issues such as unemployment, torture, women’s rights, drought, and similar problems receive little attention."
Keskin emphasized that Maduniyet was created to address these gaps:
"Maduniyet emerged as a response to these silences. It seeks to spotlight issues that are marginalized, silenced, and often subject to collective disregard—such as the conditions of workers, religious and ethnic minorities, and the Turkish population in the region," he said.
He also stated that Maduniyet’s primary focus is on the internal politics of Middle Eastern countries:
"It will tackle issues that society is curious about but often avoids or overlooks."
"Our audience includes anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern affairs," Keskin remarked, emphasizing the journal's broad target audience, ranging from students to government officials.
"My belief is that these topics are relevant to everyone. Naturally, as the journal adheres to certain standards, it requires readers to have a foundational level of knowledge. In this sense, our audience includes students, teachers, journalists, government officials, and the general literate public," he added.
The first issue of Maduniyet features articles by Arif Keskin, Bilal Hatemi, Merve Hatemi, Jalil Khajeyi, Qurban Azimi, Azra K. Ören, Umid Qaragozlu, and Emre Bayir.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Arif Kəskin: Maduniyyət dərgisi səssizliyə məhkum olanlar haqqında yazacaq