Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan, who received the Sedat Simavi Social Sciences Research Award with her book titled “Unfair Provocation: A Manhood Right”, met with her readers in the hall named after the late rector of Near East University Prof. Dr. Ümit Hassan, who was deemed worthy of the same award in 1985 with her book titled ‘Studies on Ancient Turkish Society’.

The “Unfair Provocation: A Manhood Right” conference carried out by the Near East University Gender Research and Application Center was held with the participation of Kyrenia University Faculty of Law Acting Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan, who received the “Social Sciences Research Award” at the Turkish Journalists Association Sedat Simavi Awards with her book of the same name.

The conference, which was held in the Near East University Grand Library Prof. Dr. Ümit Hassan Republic Hall, was attended by Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ and YÖDAK Member Prof. Dr. Remziye Terkan along with many academics and students. The conference, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Demet Atay, Head of the Journalism Department of the Faculty of Communication at Near East University, focused on Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan’s book “Unfair Provocation: A Manhood Right”.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atılgan shared the content of the book with the participants and made important assessments on gender equality and the impact of gender roles on social structure. At the end of the conference, which continued with questions and answers, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İzlem Kanlı, Head of the Near East University Gender Research and Application Center, presented Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan with a certificate of appreciation. Near East University President Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ presented Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atılgan with a certificate of honor for her work on “women’s rights and gender equality”.

It is a great honor to bring the same award to my university after 40 years!

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan, who stated that she was the fifth lawyer to receive the Sedat Simavi Social Sciences Research Award given since 1978 with her book titled “Unfair Provocation: A Manhood Right”, said, “The late rector of Near East University, Prof. Dr. Ümit Hassan, whose name was given to this hall, was also deemed worthy of the same award in 1985 with his book titled ‘Studies on Ancient Turkish Society’. It is a great honor for me to bring this valuable award back to my university after 40 years.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan, who talked about the research that formed the basis of her book “Unfair Provocation: A Manhood Right”, emphasized the importance of socio-legal studies. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan said, “Socio-legal studies are studies that examine law not only through laws and courts but also focus on its relationship with society. In other words, they investigate how law affects people’s daily lives, social problems and understanding of justice. For example, issues such as human rights violations, women’s rights, workers’ rights or the legal status of immigrants are within the scope of socio-legal research.” Stating that socio-legal research generally focuses on painful issues, Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan said, “It is not easy to conduct interviews with women working in nightclubs for months or to examine femicide cases line by line. However, all these studies are necessary for the progress of law without breaking away from social reality.”

There is a ‘Male Culture’ in Law…

Stating that law should be directly related to social problems rather than being just an academic field, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan explained with striking examples how unjust provocation reductions are applied in femicide cases. Drawing attention to the fact that women are killed when they do not obey the patriarchal order and that the judiciary approaches the perpetrators of these crimes with a reduced sentence practice, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eylem Ümit Atılgan said, “The hundreds of cases I have examined since 2012 show that women are killed when they do not submit to the patriarchal order and rebel. In the male legal culture, reasons such as ‘wanting a divorce, coming home late, opening the door ten minutes late, using a pink phone case’ can be considered sufficient for unjust provocation and sentences can be reduced by two-thirds.”