Celebrating the 20th year of Media Anthropology Network

I have been honored to be a member of the EASA Media Anthropology Network from the outset. Our mailing list has hosted tens of e-seminars throughout the last 20 years.  Currently, network members discuss the 20 years, and here is my contribution:

On the 20th anniversary of Media Anthropology Network

I was a graduate student starting fieldwork in İstanbul, Turkey, when I heard about the network, and I was honored to be part of it from the very early years. I grew up, and my career progressed as I followed the more senior members conducting research that established media anthropology as an increasingly legitimate field. Most Western-educated anthropologists end up in other programs in Turkey, as very few anthropology departments are open to them. I am a faculty member in the Media Department at Istanbul Bilgi University and have established a few long-lasting graduate-level courses with anthropological sensibilities. 

Back in the early days, it was a transitional period, and media as we knew it was already transforming into digital. Hence, there were several competing and sometimes interchangeable terms. Media anthropology remained an overarching title covering many of our research projects in all years. At some point, we can start another terminological discussion. 

My PhD fieldwork on Turkish journalism and the EU was initially designed as a traditional media ethnography, but thanks to Chris Kelty, who set up a blog for me as a research diary, I moved to study emerging communication technologies. That blog, Erkan’s Field Diary, too, celebrated its 20th anniversary a few months ago. Early members are well aware of that blog. 

I feel guilty that I could not devote as much time as the network deserves. Among the many digital outlets I participated in, e-seminars were one of the most productive and lasting ones. I hope to contribute more to future sessions.

I am thankful to many members of the network. Among many, John supported me when I was just a graduate student; Elisabetta Costa’s fieldwork in Mardin, Turkey, remained a long-lasting reading assignment and guidepost in my digital anthropology classes. Collaborations with Sahana helped me mature in my political troll ethnographies, and thanks to her again, I have more time to work on localizing AI development.  Many colleagues and friends are here, and I sincerely believe we can show off our intellectual capacity in myriad ways as a network. Let the anniversary trigger a new period!