Disclaimer
This website is in no way affiliated with other movements or political parties which chose the notion of centrism to define them. I have been articulating the urgent need for society to bring back critical, controversial and respectful discourse to its centre since my presentation at the Mainz Academy in 2008 (published in 2009, see also my page on Citizenship). Observing further disintegration of democratic societies in the 2010s, I saw even more urgent need for explaining and encouraging centrist thinking and talking, as a long-term cure.
Who I am
My name is Altay Coskun, I am a German citizen with some Turkish roots, spent time in the UK as a researcher and moved to Canada in 2009. I am Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.
In other words: throughout my life, I have been gaining first-hand experience of migration, citizenship and the roles that the education system and Academia play in our democratic societies.
For some forty years, I have been intrigued by the lives, deeds and thoughts of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Some 35 years ago, I began tutoring Latin students (as a high schooler). In 1990, I started digging deeper when I became an undergraduate student at the University of Trier (PhD 1999).
You can find more on the work I did at Trier and Exeter (UK) and what I do at Waterloo, and further where to find me in the ABOUT section. If I have made you sufficiently curious, you might even want to read my autobiographical essay Becoming Political or Staying in the Private Comfort Zone. Feedback or suggestions can be emailed to altay dot coskun at uwaterloo dot ca.
Dedication
My daughter Luisa challenges and stimulates me, she is my prime motivation for articulating my thoughts and seeking to let action follow. I dedicate this website to her and her siblings, who may soon follow her lead in becoming engaged, critical, respectful, and compassionate citizens.
Disclosure
Since 2018, I am member of the Green Party of Canada, but I do not claim to speak for this party. I chose the party which stood most for values that I embrace: respect, sustainability and transparency. I doubted my choice during the leadership crisis of 2021, which exposed significant deficits at the top, but I decided not to quit for the many other people doing great work as Greens for Canadians.
My hope is that more centrist thinking and speaking will improve the political culture of all democratic parties, including the Greens. And I vow that this website shall remain non-partisan. On the contrary, it is about engaging with others in respectful, creative and constructive ways.
Credits
Giving credit to those who inspired and supported me gives me great pleasure. Many people - family, friends, teachers, colleagues - helped me develop my thoughts and make sense of this world, encouraged me to take action or gave me feedback on parts of this website.
Not all can be named here, but some are on the pages of this website, especially in the essay in which I reflect on how my interest in politics was inspired, fell dormant and was revived again (published on 16 January 2022). The names of others will follow, since many contributions directly result from conversations I have had with them.
At this point, I’d like to single out my wife Doro, often the first to endure my new ideas, never hesitating to encourage me to pursue my passion, and doing much extra work so that I can free enough time for writing.
My friend Dr. Ben Scolnic has become the most supportive and stimulating companion, in matters Seleukid and much more. He is Rabbi at the Beth Sholom Temple in Hamden, CT and Professor at the Southern Connecticut State University. Thank you so much for enriching this website with your many creative and thought-provoking pieces that have been gathered under the umbrella Unheard Voices of the Past - Inspiration for the Present, featuring stars like Thucydides, Herodotus, Protagoras, Samuel, Cicero, and others. Ben can be reached at rabbi dot scolnic at gmail dot com.