Prominent scholars, intellectuals and public figures gathered in Istanbul on Monday at the World Decolonization Forum, where speakers called for dismantling Western dominance in academia, culture and global knowledge systems, arguing that colonial-era power structures continue to shape modern institutions.
Held at the Atatürk Cultural Center under the theme “Decolonizing the Production and Circulation of Knowledge,” the forum brought together thinkers from South America, Africa, Asia and Europe to examine how colonial influence persists in education, media, economics and intellectual life.
Participants included decolonial theorist Walter Mignolo, sociologist Salman Sayyid, political scientist Anne Norton, Palestinian thinker Munir Fasheh, historian Halil Berktay and British singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens.
Discussions focused on how Eurocentric models continue to dominate universities and social sciences through claims of objectivity and universality, while sidelining indigenous and non-Western knowledge traditions.
Psychiatrist and author Dr. Kemal Sayar argued that the universalist approach of Western psychiatry imposes a secular and individualist worldview on non-Western societies, describing it as a form of “epistemic violence.”
Yusuf Islam reflected on his experience in the global music industry, saying cultural production is often shaped by systems of control similar to colonial structures and emphasizing the importance of intellectual and artistic independence.
The forum also featured academic sessions on decolonial education, economics, ecology, feminist knowledge systems and Islamic epistemologies, with researchers from 40 countries presenting their work.
Organizers said Tuesday’s sessions will focus on media narratives, settler colonialism in Palestine, economic sovereignty and racism in sports.
