Higher Education Industrial Complex

Higher Education Industrial Complex is a network map of universities in Turkey, revealing their ties to corporations, foundations, and political organizations.

The map visualizes the higher education industrial complex in Turkey by showing how private universities and their boards of trustees are connected to a broader web of influence. The dataset includes:

Universities and their boards of trustees connected to a network of corporations and institutions make the higher education industrial complex of Turkey. The network map contains:

• 68 private universities (red),
• 625 member of the board of trustees (black),
• 970 organizations (blue colored corporations, foundations, associations, political parties, state universities), and
• 2001 relationships researched between organizations and people.

By analyzing the relationships between board members—who are key power holders within the universities—and external institutions, the project provides a tool for understanding the ecosystem of higher education in political and social terms. The resulting network map makes visible central and peripheral actors, indirect connections, and clusters within the industrial complex of higher education.

The work is presented as an interactive network map on a 47” touchscreen display running custom software, along with a 260 × 125 cm digital print. It is exhibited at Koç University and accessible online at: http://burak-arikan.com/ozeluniversiteler.