The conference titled "The Transformation of Sovereignty from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic with Prof. Dr. Oktay Uygun," organized in collaboration with the Faculty of Law and the Development Law Club of our university, was held on November 28, 2023, at 1:30 PM in the Ziraat Bank Library Conference Hall of Istanbul Medeniyet University. The conference, which was open to external participation, attracted great interest from academics and students from various universities.
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Oktay Uygun addressed the concept of sovereignty. Uygun evaluated the meanings attributed to sovereignty in different periods, society's approach to sovereignty, and its expectations from it.
Uygun stated that with the surpassing of the classical understanding of sovereignty over time, liberalism, democratization, and constitutional movements emerged, significantly limiting state sovereignty. In this regard, he noted that the principles of the rule of law, human rights, and the separation of powers have drawn clear boundaries around state authority. As a result of the surpassing of classical sovereignty, human rights have transitioned from being a national issue to becoming a fundamental element of international law. However, he pointed out that globalization and military interventions by states have had negative impacts on many rights, especially social rights. Uygun concluded by emphasizing that without securing social rights, it would be impossible for everyone to fully and equally benefit from human rights. He noted that in such a situation, unemployment, poverty, and deep social inequalities would be inevitable.
Following the speech, the conference continued with a Q&A session. Participants expressed their understanding of sovereignty and shared their thoughts on the ideal theory of sovereignty.
