Münci Kapani (1921–1993) was a Turkish academic, politician and writer. He is known for his studies on public law and political activities in the mid-1950s.

Early life and education

He was born Mehmet Münci in İzmir on 16 May 1921. He graduated from Galatasaray High School and received a degree in law from

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

. He completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Geneva in 1948.

Career and activities

One year after his graduation Kapani joined his alma mater as a research assistant. He was promoted to associated professorship and worked as a visiting professor in the USA and in the United Kingdom. He left his academic career in 1956 and began to take part in politics becoming a member of the Liberty Party. He was involved in oppositional activities against the ruling Democrat Party (DP). During this period he published articles in the '' Forum'' magazine and shaped the magazine's ideological framework along with Şerif Mardin,

Bülent Ecevit Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (; 28 May 1925 – 5 November 2006) was a Turkish politician, statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist, who served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in ...

, Turhan Feyzioğlu and Attilâ İlhan. Kapani also contributed to ''Yeni Gün'' ( tr, The New Day), the official newspaper of the Liberty Party. Following the military coup on 27 May 1960 the DP was banned, and a Constituent Assembly was formed. Kapani was made a member of the Assembly. He was appointed to the Constitutional Commission which was established by the Assembly in January 1961. The Commission was headed by Turhan Feyzioğlu and Enver Ziya Karal. Some of the other Commission members included

Muammer Aksoy Muammer Aksoy (1917 – January 31, 1990) was a Turkish academic of law, politician, columnist and intellectual. He was assassinated. Biography Aksoy was born 1917 in İbradı, Antalya Province Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the ...

Turan Güneş Turan Güneş (1922–1982) was a Turkish academic and politician who served as the minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in the 1970s. He started his political career in the Democrat Party, but soon he joined the Republican Peo ...

, Doğan Avcıoğlu, Coşkun Kırca and Mümtaz Soysal. Kapani returned to his teaching post at Ankara University and became a professor of public law in 1964. He was among the signatories of the 1966 declaration by the faculty members of Ankara University's

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

and Faculty of Political Science which criticized Prime Minister

Süleyman Demirel Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...

of acting against secularism. From the late 1960s Kapani's views were frequently featured in '' Ant'', a socialist magazine. Kapani resigned from the university in 1983 as a protest against the establishment of the Council of Higher Education. Kapani is the author of various books on public law, political sciences and human rights. His first book, ''Les pouvoirs extraordinaires de l'Exécutrij en temps de guerre et de crise nationale'', was published in 1949.

Personal life and death

Kapani settled in Karşıyaka, İzmir, after his retirement. He was married to Margaret Elizabeth Kapani. He is the father-in-law of

Osman Korutürk Osman Korutürk (born 22 November 1944) is a Turkish diplomat and politician. Following his retirement from diplomatic post in 2009 he joined the Republican People's Party (CHP) and served as a deputy of Istanbul for one term between 2011 and 201 ...

, a diplomat and politician. Kapani died on 21 June 1993. His books were donated to the library of İzmir Municipality.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapani, Munci 20th-century Turkish non-fiction writers 20th-century jurists 1921 births 1993 deaths Academic staff of Ankara University Ankara University Faculty of Law alumni University of Geneva alumni Politicians from İzmir Galatasaray High School alumni Members of the Constituent Assembly of Turkey