Nesin Villages - Turkey
Description
By ChatGPT, prompted by Michel Bauwens based on material provided by @Vovoxyz [1] :
Nesin Villages (Turkish: *Nesin Köyleri*) are a non-profit, community-based educational and cultural initiative located near Şirince in İzmir Province, Turkey. Founded in 2007 as the **Nesin Mathematics Village**, the initiative subsequently expanded to include philosophy and the arts. Today, the Mathematics, Philosophy and Art Villages operate as an interconnected educational and cultural community, commonly referred to simply as “the Village.”
The Villages were established around a deliberately alternative model of education: learning outside conventional curricula, examinations and institutional hierarchies. Their stated purpose is to provide a free and peaceful environment in which people can **learn, think and create**, while also functioning as a scientific and artistic centre for camps, seminars, workshops, conferences and research.
History
- Origins
The initiative was founded by mathematician **Ali Nesin**, son of the Turkish writer, humorist and social activist **Aziz Nesin (1915–1995)**. Ali Nesin had previously organised mathematics study camps for university students, first privately and later through the Nesin Foundation. As participation grew, he sought a permanent and relatively remote place where students could study mathematics intensively together.
The Mathematics Village was built near Şirince beginning in 2007, with the help of architect and writer Sevan Nişanyan, donations from ordinary people, and substantial voluntary labour by young mathematicians and others. Its architecture deliberately uses local materials and traditional construction techniques, giving the Village its distinctive appearance.
The project subsequently expanded beyond mathematics. Philosophy activities began in 2009 and arts activities in 2010; as these became regular programmes, the Philosophy and Art Villages developed alongside the Mathematics Village.
Characteristics
Educational model
The Nesin Villages reject many of the conventions of formal education. There is no conventional examination system, grading structure, certificate or diploma at the Mathematics Village. Instead, the emphasis is on encountering mathematics as a living intellectual discipline and being introduced to mathematical research. The Philosophy and Art programmes similarly seek to create spaces for sustained thinking, questioning, interpretation and creative production outside standard curricula.
The Village is deliberately **interdisciplinary**. Mathematics, philosophy and art share parts of the physical infrastructure and interact through their participants and programmes. Alongside courses for high-school and university students, the site hosts researchers, academics, artists and other independent learners.
Its pedagogy is also partly **self-organising and communal**. Students, teachers and volunteers participate in the everyday work required to maintain the Village, including cooking, cleaning, gardening, laundry and dishwashing. The organisation describes this collective labour as an integral part of village life rather than simply a service provided to students.
Lecturers are drawn from Turkey and internationally and frequently participate on a voluntary basis, receiving accommodation and food rather than conventional teaching fees. The Village maintains a permanent year-round staff as well as seasonal volunteers.
The Aziz Nesin legacy
The Villages form part of a broader intellectual and social legacy associated with **Aziz Nesin**. A major Turkish literary figure, Nesin used his writing and publishing activities to support social causes and established the **Nesin Foundation** in 1972 to provide children in need with housing, education and long-term support.
Ali Nesin became director of the Nesin Foundation after his father's death in 1995 and later founded the Nesin Mathematics, Art and Philosophy Villages. In this sense, the Villages can be understood as an extension of the Nesin tradition: rather than treating education simply as preparation for employment or examinations, they approach it as a means of developing independent, socially engaged and intellectually confident people.
The model also reflects a broader principle associated with the Nesin institutions: **knowledge should be shared as a public and communal resource rather than treated exclusively as a commodity**.
Status
Recognition
The project gained international recognition through Ali Nesin's work and through the development of the Mathematics Village as an unusual centre for mathematical education and outreach.
In 2018, Ali Nesin received the **Leelavati Prize** of the International Mathematical Union for outstanding contributions to the public outreach of mathematics. The award specifically recognised his work and the development of the Nesin Mathematics Village.
Nesin Art Village
The **Nesin Art Village** developed out of the alternative educational environment established by the Mathematics Village. It was formally launched as an art programme in 2015 and offers workshops and seminars involving artists, academics, writers and curators.
Its stated objective is to create an environment centred on critical thinking and independent artistic production, particularly for young people from across Turkey. Rather than reproducing conventional arts education, it seeks to provide space for experimentation, discussion and collective learning.
The Art Village has continued to operate as an active programme, with workshops and summer schools covering subjects including critical writing, cinema, contemporary art and interdisciplinary practices. Its 2026 programme includes multiple scheduled workshops and summer schools.
Current status
As of **2026**, the Nesin Villages remain an active educational and cultural centre near Şirince, occupying approximately **37,500 square metres** on the slopes of Kayser Mountain. The three villages are physically integrated rather than being entirely separate institutions, with some buildings and facilities shared between mathematics, philosophy and art programmes.
The Mathematics Village continues to run high-school, undergraduate and graduate programmes. Its 2026 undergraduate and graduate summer camp runs from **27 July to 27 September 2026**, with participants studying mathematics alongside academics from Turkey and elsewhere. The programme also continues the Village's communal model, with participants expected to contribute to everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, gardening and dishwashing.
Participation is not necessarily free in the literal sense: programmes can charge fees for accommodation, meals and basic services. However, the organisation maintains that **no student should be excluded from mathematics camps simply because they cannot afford the fee**, and it operates a fee-waiver/support system based on financial need.
The Village therefore combines several forms of commons-based practice: volunteer teaching, shared physical work, collective maintenance, non-profit organisation, financial support for participants, and an educational philosophy centred on intellectual freedom rather than credentials.
Significance
The Nesin Villages represent an unusual experiment in **decentralised, community-based education**. Their importance lies not simply in providing mathematics, philosophy or arts courses, but in attempting to create a physical and social environment in which education becomes a shared activity.
The Village effectively functions as a small-scale educational commons: teachers contribute knowledge, students contribute labour and participation, volunteers contribute time and expertise, and the physical infrastructure is maintained collectively. Its model challenges the assumption that serious education must necessarily take place within conventional universities, schools or commercial training institutions.
Its continuing existence also demonstrates the possibility of maintaining an independent educational institution outside the conventional examination and credential system while connecting local students with an international community of academics, artists and researchers.
More information
External links
- Nesin Villages — https://nesinkoyleri.org/en/main-page/
- Nesin Mathematics Village — https://nesinkoyleri.org/en/main-page/nesin-maths-village/
- Nesin Philosophy Village — https://nesinkoyleri.org/en/main-page/nesin-philosophy-village/
- Nesin Art Village — https://nesinartvillage.org/
- Nesin Foundation — https://nesinvakfi.org/
- Ali Nesin — https://www.alinesin.org/
- Nesin Mathematics Village — Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesin_Mathematics_Village
- Ali Nesin's Leelavati Prize lecture — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI4RwMmLQHQ