Axel Karamercan
Election
Position
Name
Axel Karamercan
Candidate statement
I am a philosopher working in twentieth-century Continental philosophy, with a particular focus on Martin Heidegger's thinking of place, dwelling, and poetic language. But I promise, I am not a boring fellow. Born in Turkey, I completed my PhD in Australia, pursued research in comparative literature in the United States (University at Buffalo), and am now based in France. I hold a visiting scholar position at the University of Edinburgh, and this coming fall I will be a visiting scholar at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan. Traveling is “more convincing Than Philosophy” to me – and from time to time I write and translate poetry.
I have been engaged with Dickinson's poetry for years. I confess I read her like an encyclopedia – when I think I have lost the meaning of a word, I open her collected poems. My captivation with her verse has kept my prose across languages and intellectual traditions alive, and it helped me survive the dire days of academic job hunting. In the last couple of years, my circling around Dickinson has taken a more tangible form. I published a book chapter on the Heidegger–Dickinson connection, presented at the EDIS 2025 International Conference in Wenshan and at the Critical Institute, and recently submitted an article to the Emily Dickinson Journal. I have contributed to the EDIS Bulletin and currently serve as co-chair of the Translation Community with Bruna Kondi.
As I have been doing my “Purple Work” at EDIS, I have met wonderful people, from younger to the most distinguished scholars, and it has only made me try to better understand how a society, and in particular EDIS, works. Coincidentally, an anonymous nomination for the Member-at-Large position dropped from “an abundant sky” for me. I am genuinely humbled and thought it would be fair for me to respond. In particular, I would like to work toward stronger connections between EDIS and non-Anglophone scholarly networks. I would bring to the Board a Continental philosophical perspective that is perhaps underrepresented in EDIS, alongside enthusiasm for the Society’s mission and a commitment to expanding its reach across European, East Asian, and international scholarly communities. And a smiling face.
“I read my sentence – steadily – / Reviewed it with my eyes, / To see that I made no mistake” in making a case why the Jury should vote for me!
I have been engaged with Dickinson's poetry for years. I confess I read her like an encyclopedia – when I think I have lost the meaning of a word, I open her collected poems. My captivation with her verse has kept my prose across languages and intellectual traditions alive, and it helped me survive the dire days of academic job hunting. In the last couple of years, my circling around Dickinson has taken a more tangible form. I published a book chapter on the Heidegger–Dickinson connection, presented at the EDIS 2025 International Conference in Wenshan and at the Critical Institute, and recently submitted an article to the Emily Dickinson Journal. I have contributed to the EDIS Bulletin and currently serve as co-chair of the Translation Community with Bruna Kondi.
As I have been doing my “Purple Work” at EDIS, I have met wonderful people, from younger to the most distinguished scholars, and it has only made me try to better understand how a society, and in particular EDIS, works. Coincidentally, an anonymous nomination for the Member-at-Large position dropped from “an abundant sky” for me. I am genuinely humbled and thought it would be fair for me to respond. In particular, I would like to work toward stronger connections between EDIS and non-Anglophone scholarly networks. I would bring to the Board a Continental philosophical perspective that is perhaps underrepresented in EDIS, alongside enthusiasm for the Society’s mission and a commitment to expanding its reach across European, East Asian, and international scholarly communities. And a smiling face.
“I read my sentence – steadily – / Reviewed it with my eyes, / To see that I made no mistake” in making a case why the Jury should vote for me!