Asst. Prof. Maria Pia Ester Cristaldi: “Borders are not real, they are constructed through our practices”

The international seminar series titled Entangled Histories: Borders and Cultural Encounters from the Medieval to the Contemporary Era, organized by Asst. Prof. Maria Pia Ester Cristaldi from the Department of New Media and Communication at Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication and Dr. Elisa Ramazzina from the University of Insubria in Italy, attracted great interest by addressing the concept of “borders” from an interdisciplinary perspective. Shaped around language, communication, literature, politics, and culture, the seminars opened a discussion on how borders are constructed in academic production and how they can be transcended. In this context, Dr. Cristaldi emphasized that academia should not be detached from society and underlined that they cared about the seminars addressing not only the academic community but also the public. She also stated that the main goal of the seminars was to raise awareness about borders, highlighting that borders are constructed through human practices.

Supported by the Faculty of Communication at Üsküdar University and the Media and Cultural Studies Master’s Program, the seminar series Entangled Histories: Borders and Cultural Encounters from the Medieval to the Contemporary Era was carried out with contributions from the ILIMER Human Oriented Communication Application and Research Center within the university and the SDAIEP Shandong Association for the International Exchange of Personnel.

Bringing together academics from different continents, the seminar series aimed to raise awareness of the concept of borders at both academic and societal levels.

In this context, Asst. Prof. Maria Pia Ester Cristaldi shared her evaluations regarding the seminars and her work.

“Borders are not real, they are constructed through our practices”

Explaining the starting point and main purpose of the seminar series, Dr. Cristaldi emphasized that this idea was the result of many years of academic work. She expressed her approach to the concept of borders as follows: “Elisa and I have been close friends for about 13 years, and we are both academics. In both my work and Elisa’s work, we generally examine similarities and differences between different societies. We move forward by comparing them. This is also why we chose the topic of borders. Because borders are not only related to politics; they are also closely connected to language, communication, literature, and culture. In fact, I am trying to emphasize that borders are not something real, but something we construct through our social practices and our communicative practices.”

“We need to investigate how borders emerge”

Stating that current global developments have once again brought border debates to the agenda, Cristaldi emphasized that these issues should be evaluated together with their historical background. She said: “The war between Palestine and Israel or the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are not events of a single day. Their roots go back centuries. For example, why are some people defined as Ukrainian while others are considered Russian? In order to understand this, we need to investigate how borders emerged.”

The main goal is awareness

Stating that the main goal of the seminars was to raise awareness about borders, Cristaldi said: “In fact, there is no real border between us. We are trying to show that cultural, political, or religious borders have been constructed over centuries. We also want to think together about how these borders can be overcome.”

Academics from different continents met at Üsküdar

Emphasizing that they attached special importance to the international nature of the seminar series, Cristaldi stated that they kept their distance from single-centered academic perspectives. She said: “In such seminars, usually either only the Western perspective or only the Eastern perspective is reflected. We tried to bring everyone together. There were academics from China, researchers from Japan, and participants from the United Kingdom and Canada.”

“We are overturning all categories”

Noting that the topics discussed also questioned borders at a mental level, Cristaldi said: “There are topics ranging from the translation of Christian texts in China to a researcher working on Japan in Canada, and even Italian shamanism. In fact, we are overturning all categories.”

Language, communication, and press history at the center of the studies

Stating that she gave special importance to the relationship between language and communication in her work, Cristaldi drew attention to the link language establishes with social memory. She said: “The most important point of communication is having a common language. Language does not have to be only verbal; it can also be nonverbal. What interests me the most is the social and political aspect of language. How a language is used within a society, how it changes, and the meanings and emotions attributed to words are very important to me.”

Language is a habit, a practice

Referring to her studies on language and press history, Cristaldi stated that languages cannot be considered independently of one another. She said: “A language can be changed by authority, but this does not happen immediately. It takes time because it is the people who use the language. Language is a habit, a practice. It is very difficult to think of the expressions and words we use in a language separately from cultural accumulation. For example, how many people use the word ‘Inshallah’ in a religious sense? Yet we continue to use it because it has become part of culture.”

“There is no nationalism in language”

In this context, Cristaldi emphasized that borders constructed through language are also artificial and said: “There is no nationalism in language. Because borders between people are artificial. If you share the same geography, words also become shared.”

Emphasis on digital humanities and text mining

Stating that her work on digital humanities and text mining offers new opportunities for classical press and communication research, Cristaldi said: “Newspapers published in the 18th and 19th centuries were among the most important tools of modernization. We can comparatively examine Ottoman, Russian, and Japanese press. Thanks to text mining, it is possible to research common concepts in these newspapers based on categories.”

“The interaction between humans and machines is very important here”

Noting that this process also necessitates interdisciplinary work, Cristaldi drew attention to the importance of collaboration by saying: “I cannot do text mining alone. I work together with engineers. The interaction between humans and machines is very important here.”

“Academia should not be detached from society”

Sharing her goals for the coming period, Cristaldi emphasized that they cared about the seminars addressing not only the academic community but also society. She said: “I do not think only about academics. I also think about students and society. The real benefit of academia emerges in the connection it establishes with society. These seminars are open to everyone, and this is a conscious choice. Academia should not be detached from society.”

The series will continue until July 1

The seminar series, which brings together academics from different continents, will continue to be held every Wednesday at 19:00 until July 1.