Peace Convoy excursions held as part of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü History on Site Project, continue in the rainy atmosphere of Istanbul by getting richer in time and place.

A group from Peace Convoy visited Grand Bazaar located on the historical peninsula surrounded by the rich cultural climate of Istanbul with Yunus Emre Enstitüsü and Hacettepe Peace Studies team, and attended the seminar organized simultaneously in Pera on “Political-Psychological Approaches to Ethnic Conflicts and Seeking Solutions” by Prof. Dr. Vamık. D. Volkan, a leading name in the world in the field of psychoanalysis and got informed on the intercultural communication psychology by a Nobel Prize nominee.

Volkan expressed that belonging to a large group with an identity is part of the human experience and explained the essentials to sustain large groups within Large Groups' Identity and Prejudice, Large Group Tent, Seeking Solutions, Tree Model and International Communication Initiative topics in the seminar held in two sessions. Volkan continued his presentation as follows: “Participants who belong to a large mass typically share the same perception however contrary to their previous beliefs based on personal experience, it turns out that the large mass is not homogeneous. If a participant observes diversity in the group he/she belongs to, their flexibility to deal with the difficulties brought along by this diversity is improved.”

Students asked questions to the “Mary Sigourney Psychoanalysis Prize” winner Cypriot Turk Volkan, and had photos taken with him.