It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Professor Ismet Emre Işık. Emre taught in the Department of Sociology in Maynooth between 2001 and 2004 before returning to Istanbul to take up a chair in Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. From the moment he arrived in Maynooth, it was clear that Emre had an exceptionally sharp and critical mind, and his command of contemporary social theory in particular was quite breathtaking. His teaching and research interests saw Emre deal with a host of complex issues and traverse a series of academic disciplines. This academic élan and curiosity would lead him to author seven monographs on topics as diverse as the body, migration and gender studies.
Emre combined a fiercely independent mind with a genial and generous personality that made him hugely popular among colleagues and students alike. He was simply the most intelligent and entertaining company that you are ever likely to encounter. The abiding affection that people in Maynooth felt for Emre was always entirely reciprocated and he returned to north Kildare whenever the opportunity arose. Those stolen evenings when Emre would hold court with his own trademark blend of the entirely serious and the utterly surreal will live long in the memory of those who had the good fortune to have been there.
Professor Emre Işık had a gifted mind and a gilded spirit and his passing marks an enormous loss for his many friends in Maynooth. He was much loved and he will be much missed. The Department of Sociology wishes to offer our heartfelt condolences to Emre’s wife Catherine and to his family in Istanbul at this difficult time.