PROF. DR. ABDULHAMİT AVŞAR

Prof. Dr. Abdulhamit Avşar was born in Yarkant in 1964. He completed primary and secondary education in Kayseri with honors. In 1986, he graduated from Marmara University Faculty of Communication (School of Press and Broadcasting) Radio-Television Department at the top of his class. He received his master’s degree from Istanbul University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science (SBF) and his doctorate degree from the Department of International Relations (SBF) of the same university and institute. He became an associate professor in the field of Applied Communication in 2013 and a full professor in 2022.

Prof. Dr. Avşar worked at Yeşilçam between 1985 and 1986. In 1987, he passed the Producer exam and started working at Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT). He has produced and directed many documentaries as well as various drama, culture and generation programs. He wrote the texts of a significant part of the documentaries he prepared. He represented TRT in various project meetings held under the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the The Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU), and in many international meetings held under the Turkic Council Media Forum, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Media Forum, etc. He served as a jury member at various national and international film festivals. He served as TRT Azerbaijan Representative (2004-2007), TRT Istanbul Regional Manager (2015-2018) and TRT Kazakhstan Representative (2018-2020). Between 2011 and 2017, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses as a lecturer at Marmara University Faculty of Communication, and served as an editorial board member and writer in many international and national journals.

Prof. Dr. Avşar was given an honorary doctorate by Baku Asian University for his contributions to Turkey-Azerbaijan relations (2007). He was deemed worthy of many awards, medals and plaques with the documentaries he prepared, including the Turkish Writers Association’s “Best Documentary” award (2003), the Turkic World Culture and Human Rights Association’s “Turkic World Outstanding Service” award (2003), “Samir Askerhanov” award (2005), Republic of Dagestan State Council’s award (2005), Turkish Journalists’ Association’s “Documentary of the Year” award (2008), Turkestan Governorship Contribution to the Development of Cooperation Between the Countries of the Turkic World award (2018) and Turkic Speaking Countries’ Businessmen’s Anti-Corruption Center’s 7^th  Adal (Honest) Person award (2019).

Prof. Dr. Avşar has many articles published in various national and international journals, books and papers published at home and abroad, and many interviews, programs and articles published on various television, radio and newspapers operating domestically and abroad. In addition to English, he speaks Uyghur, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Kazakh and Crimean Tatar Turkish and can read the Ottoman and Cyrillic alphabets. He holds a Permanent Press Card and is a member of professional organizations such as the Turkish Journalists’ Association, the International Cinema Association, the Turkic World Culture, Art and Cinema Foundation, the Turkish Sports Writers’ Association, and the Economics Journalists’ Association. He is married and has three children.