New initiative Karakutu recreates history

Karakutu (Black Box) is a recent initiative hoping to foster alternative narratives, offer ways of remembering and introduce different perspectives about the past to society, especially to young people. Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review talked to Emrah Gürsel, one of the founders "Learning the conflicts of the past from different perspectives, especially from the points of view of the marginalized and the oppressed, will take us toward a better society and towards social reconciliation."

These are the words of Emrah Gürsel, one of the founders of the Karakutu (Black Box), a recent initiative hoping to encourage alternative narratives suppressed by official history and introduce different perspectives about the past to society, especially young people.

"There are many problems standing in the way of our society. There is a domineering culture of violence and discrimination, where the strong oppresses the weak," said Gürsel. "We believe that one of the major reasons for this is that the history we read and learn is missing pieces, distorted and one-sided."
 
"The real reasons behind the violence and conflicts Turkey has been experiencing in the last century have not been addressed, and this in turn, hinders the institutionalization of democracy both in state and in society," he said.

The ideas form the basic premise behind the evolution of Karakutu.

Gürsel has been actively involved in various civil society organizations as "one of the many who have been troubled by a society of hate and intolerance," later working as a professional in civil society, working with young people for years. He has also worked as a coordinator and trainer in human rights projects.

Creating new subjectivities