# İoanna Kuçuradi

İoanna Kuçuradi (born October 4, 1936) is a Turkish philosopher from Istanbul. She is currently the president of Philosophical Society of Turkey and a full-time academic of Maltepe University and member of the board of trustees at Koç University.

## Biography

Of Greek descent, Kuçuradi was born on October 4, 1936, in Istanbul, Turkey. After finishing Zappeion Greek Gymnasium for Girls in Istanbul in 1954, she studied philosophy at Istanbul University, from where she graduated with a B.A. degree in 1959. She earned a Ph.D. degree at the same university in 1965. İoanna Kuçuradi worked as an assistant professor at her alma mater and the Atatürk University in Erzurum.
In 1968, she joined Hacettepe University, Ankara, where she founded and chaired the Department of Philosophy until 2005. From 1997 to 2005, Kuçuradi was founding director of the Centre for Research and Application of the Philosophy of Human Rights at Hacettepe University and Director of the M.A. and Ph.D. programmes of human rights. She is also holder of a UNESCO Chair of Philosophy since 1998. Since 2006, Kuçuradi teaches philosophy and acts as director of the Centre for Research and Application of Human Rights at Maltepe University.
İoanna Kuçuradi is, and had been, a member of several associations and bodies, among which are the Philosophical Society of Turkey (Founding member, Secretary General between 1974-1980 and since 1980 President), the Afro-Asian Philosophy Association (President since 2010), the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP, member of the Steering Committee since 1983, General Secretary between 1988-1998, President between 1998-2003, Former President between 2003-2008 and since 2008 Honorary President), the High Advisory Council for Human Rights of the Prime Ministry of Turkey (Chairperson, 1994-1996), the International Institute of Philosophy, Paris (President between 2014-2017 and since then Honorary President), the National Advisory Council for Human Rights of Turkey (2002-2005), the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, Vienna (Observer, 2004-2007) and the Turkish National Committee of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (Chair, 1997-2005).

## Honours

Kuçuradi has received numerous honors, among which:
* Goethe-Medaille (1996)
* Doctor honoris causa, University of Crete, Greece (1996)
* Prize of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (1996)
* Hacettepe University Prize for Scientific Achievement (1994-1995 and 1995–1996)
* Doctor honoris causa, Ricardo Palma University, Lima, Peru (2000)
* Freedom of the Press 1999 Prize of the Journalists Association of Turkey (2000)
* Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of Germany (German: Grosses Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) (2001)
* Honourable Mention, UNESCO Human Rights Education Prize (2002)
* Huésped Ilustra de la Ciudad de La Habana (2002)
* METU Parlar Foundation Science Award, Ankara, Turkey (2003)
* UNESCO Aristotle Medaille (2003)
* Diyarbakır Medical Association's Prize for Peace, Friendship and Democracy (2004)
* Council of Secular Humanism's Planetary Humanist Philosopher's Award (2005)
* Honorary Fellow, The Science Academy Society of Turkey, Istanbul (2015)