One of the most important features of the International Hisarlı Ahmet Symposia is undoubtedly its "human and society-centered" nature. individual's The symposium's unique, awareness-raising structure, organized around a specific theme with subtopics aligned to it, has been highly appreciated by scholars in the fields of art and music.
The theme of the 2026 symposium has been determined as "Fine Arts, Music, and Social Psychology.
As human beings are social in nature, all branches of art either directly focus on people or are oriented toward them. In other words, art cannot exist without people, and people cannot exist without art. Art shapes human imagination while also contributing to personal development and scientific progress. This progress is not subjective—it encompasses and embraces the whole of society. At this very point, everything related to human beings—from politics to ethics, from emotional needs to physical needs, and to education—falls within the scope of art.
While the branches of art interact and develop together as a whole, the responsibility then shifts to humans to examine every aspect of this unity and question its nature. Here, social psychology comes into play, assuming the role of a discipline that scientifically studies human behavior and interactions in social life. Cüceloğlu's (2007:38) definition is very clear: "The branch of psychology that examines the interaction of individuals with each other is called social psychology."
The fact that the 16th Symposium in 2026 will encompass not only institutions providing professional music education but also scholars and artists working in faculties of fine arts indicates its commitment to embracing artistic integrity. In this respect, numerous fields—especially traditional Turkish arts, plastic arts, design, and cinema—will contribute with new and original ideas. We believe that the Hisarlı Ahmet Symposium will inspire new research and studies in this context, and we invite scholars and artists to present their work within this theme.