Behind all the works Kırkayak Kültür carry out; we take the conception of “living-together” as the main reference point. The number of refugees from different parts of the globe is increasing day by day and societies are becoming multicultural, multi-religious, and multilingual. In Gaziantep, as a migration-receiving city with 2 million inhabitants, encounters between different cultural, ethnic, or religious groups are inevitable. The daily practices which come in various forms, most importantly as facing ‘the Other’, is a part of public space. The case of Syrian refugees who settled down in the region after the Syrian civil war rendered this situation more visible in the last decade. Thus; emphasizing the idea that the space does not belong to any particular group of people, but to all, and olds and news share the city all together is a significant necessity in this atmosphere. Rather than grounding this idea of living together on morality, individual conscience, or local values; Kırkayak Kültür prioritize a right-based approach, democratic values, and the universal idea of human rights.

In the West and especially in Europe, which are becoming more and more culturally diverse societies, longstanding discussions about the possibility and ways of living-together brought about various approaches offering different strategies in managing plurality. As two contrasting approaches, assimilationism and multiculturalism differ from each other in their focus on homogeneity or heterogeneity as a necessity for social cohesion. Those who favor assimilation assert that social cohesion is only possible with the integration of minorities into the hegemonic majority while multiculturalists value cultural differences and try to strengthen these differences. On the other hand, both approaches whether ignoring or strengthening diversities could not be effective enough to guarantee a cohesive social and political life within the current nation-state structures. As it is obvious that the practices and ideas of assimilation do not open a room for diversity in the society, on the contrary, try to eliminate differences; the result is the loss of diversity and making these different ethnic, linguistic, or religious groups incarcerated within their own dynamics. Similarly, cosmopolitanism fails to develop an understanding of living-together due to promoting withdrawal of each community within its own’s dynamics resulting in social and political polarization. In conclusion, in both cases there occurs a society composed of different sub-communities which are not interacting with each other, rather than a coherent one.

Kırkayak Kültür do not hold a communitarian understanding of society, rather we work for strengthening the dialogue between different cultural, ethno-linguistic groups; for instance, the dialogue between the Syrian refugee community and host community in Turkey. In this sense, the discussions around the idea of ‘cosmopolitanism’ emerging in the last decades contribute to the idea of ‘living together’ which is central in the works of Kırkayak Kültür. Originating from the themes of continental philosophy, especially from Kantian ideal of cosmopolitan law and hospitality as the elements of “perpetual peace”, cosmopolitanism as a recent approach for managing diversity aims to prevent the hierarchical separations between self/other and citizen/non-citizen. Without forgetting there is always a reference to the power positions in being a host or newcomer; cosmopolitanism insists that otherness is a fundamental condition of human sociality. With this awareness, Kırkayak Kültür aim to reinforce the contact points among different groups of society, such as art, cultural activities, and cuisine. In that sense, Kırkayak Kültür intend to decrease the effect of unequal power positions over social relations originating from being in the position of a ‘host’ or ‘guest’. Kırkayak Kültür accept French deconstructivist philosopher Jacques Derrida’s “unconditional hospitality” as a normative ideal for anybody in the position of ‘host’. Rather than adopting the position of power-holders, Kırkayak Kültür place their ethical position in relation to “the Other”, as it is emphasized by another French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. As a result, the idea of integration appears as a process working in two directions, not as the integration of the “others” to the identity of the self. While valuing universal cosmopolitan ideals, Kırkayak Kültür consider the problematic consequences of ethnocentric applications of the human rights ideals which imposing Western values and lifestyle all over the world.

Kırkayak Kültür bolster the members of different communities sharing the same city to meet, socialize and interact with each other as the first step of the way going through the radical cosmopolitan ideals. In that sense, Kırkayak Kültür is an “open space” for all to join, share and enrich. Living together is possible!