Öget Öktem Tanör (born 1934 or 1935) is the first

neuropsychologist Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology focus on how injuries or illnesses of the brai ...

from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 2017, she was charged with "terrorism propaganda" by the Turkish government for signing a petition calling on the government to halt its military operations in the

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

-populated areas of the country.

Career

In a 2016 interview, Tanör stated that she had been interested in psychology and neurology since she was 15 years old. She said that she faced opposition from her family when she expressed a desire to study medicine; they put pressure on her to study law instead. According to her, experiences at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

and

Geneva University The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology unti ...

helped her turn to psychology. She completed her

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1981, and began working in Ankara in 1983. Considered "Turkey's first neuropsychologist," Tanör founded Turkey's first neuropsychology clinic. Currently an emeritus professor at

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

, Tanör has also been a guest lecturer at many other institutions. She has been described as one of Turkey's most respected scholars, while her students have referred to her as "a hard-working, colourful character hois tireless when it comes to teaching and sharing her knowledge and experiences."

Terrorism charges

Tanör fled the country with her husband Bülent Tanör, a professor of law, during the military coup of 1971, but returned to the country to teach. She has been charged with "terrorism propaganda" by the government of

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

, as a result of signing a petition asking the government to halt its military operations in the Kurdish part of Turkey. She was also threatened with the loss of her pension. She is not permitted to travel abroad, and no longer has the rights she once did as a civil servant. Tanör was one of hundreds of academics, and of nearly 100,000 civil servants, who were

purged In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertaking such an ...

following the

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt In the evening of 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They attempted ...

. She has stated that her restrictions were part of a government effort to silence opposition, and has expressed disappointment at being unable to teach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanor, Oget Oktem Living people Neuropsychologists Turkish women academics Academic staff of Istanbul University Turkish neurologists Freedom of expression in Turkey 1930s births Turkish physicians 20th-century Turkish physicians 21st-century Turkish physicians 20th-century Turkish women physicians 21st-century women physicians 1935 births

Career

Terrorism charges

See also

References