For my digital humanities project, I will create a visual map showing the connections between censored academics, banned books, and universities in Turkey, focusing on both the period before and after the 2016 coup attempt. I will gather information from public sources like Human Rights Watch reports and Scholar at Risk.
The project will highlight how censorship and pressure on academics had already been growing before 2016, and how it intensified afterward through mass firings, university closures, and arrests. A timeline will help trace major events and reveal patterns over time.
This project ties closely to my studies in the sociology of surveillance, by examining how the state monitors, controls, and punishes the production of knowledge. It also raises broader questions about freedom of thought, political repression, and the struggles faced by academics, especially those who have been forced into exile. As an extra step, I will explore how some scholars resisted censorship or rebuilt their work and communities after leaving their institutions.