Niyazi Berkes (21 October 1908 – 18 December 1988) was a
Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
sociologist.
Early life and education
Berkes was born in
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, the capital of Cyprus, on 21 September 1908, shortly after the
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the Ottoman Constit ...
in Turkey.
[İletişim Publishing. “The biography of Niyazi Berkes”]
Retrieved 9 November 2011, (In Turkish)[Feroz Berkes, The Development of Secularism in Turkey, p.xv.] He started his secondary education in Nicosia. During his education, he later, went to Istanbul and graduated from
Istanbul Erkek Lisesi (Istanbul Lycée, or Istanbul Boys' High School) in 1928.
[Berkes, Türkiye'de Çağdaşlaşma, p.1.] He began his university years studying law, but transferred to philosophy in hopes of broader intellectual engagements. In 1931, Berkes graduated from the department of philosophy,
Istanbul University
, image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis
, motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü
, mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future
, established = 1453 1846 1933
...
.
[
]
Career
Following the graduation Berkes struggled to find a professorship immediately after graduating as he lacked patronage in universities and the Ministry of Education. Recommended by a friend, he applied to a position at the People's House in Ankara. There he was exposed to the ideology of Kemalism, which at the time, allowed for much intellectual debate regarding the construction of a new Turkey.
In 1935, he then became an assistant at the same faculty.[ In the same year, he had gone to United States and he had studied sociology at the ]University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
[ until 1939. In 1939 he returned to Turkey and as an ]associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
of sociology he attended to the faculty of languages, history and geography of 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 ...
which had just opened a Philosophy Department. He had worked there until 1945. In 1952, he was appointed visiting professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies, the McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
in Canada. In 1956, he became professor at the same university.[ He retired from McGill in 1975 and settled in England.][ Berkes wrote no more books after his retirement, but continued to write for the Turkish press.][Berkes, Feroz, The Development of Secularism in Turkey, p.XXX.] He died on 18 December 1988 in Hythe
Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to:
Places Australia
* Hythe, Tasmania
Canada
*Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada
England
* T ...
in England.[
]
Contributions
Berkes is a well-known Turkish sociologist, primarily known for his studies relating to the historical and social evolution of Turkey, such as ''the Development of Secularism in the Turkish Revolution'', considered his magnum opus. In addition to his works reflecting his views and ideas on theoretical sociology, he researched the transition of Turkey from the Ottoman era.[
]
Works
*In 1943, he wrote his first essay on "the Development of Secularism in the Turkish Revolution" which has been seen as his magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
by outside Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
*His first book was "Why have we been stumbling along the road to modernization for two hundred years?" written in 1964 and was followed by "Westernization, Nationalism and Social Revolution".
*In 1969, "Islamism, Nationalism, Socialism", "Islamism, Nationalism and Socialism in the Arab world", "Economic History of Turkey" (two volumes) were published.
*In 1973, "The Western Question in Turkish Thought" was published.
*In 1974, "Turkey's Coming of Age" was published.
*In 1976, "Asian Letters" was published.
*His articles and essays were collected and published in three volumes: Atatürk and Revolution in 1982, Theocracy and Secularism in 1984 and Philosophical and Social Essays in 1985.
Bibliography
*Berkes Niyazi, Ahmad Feroz (1998). ''The Development of Secularism in Turkey''. London: McGill University Press.
*Berkes, Niyazi (2007). ''Türkiye’de Çağdaşlaşma''. Istanbul: Yapı Kredi Publishing.
References
External links
An article of Turkish sociologist Emre Kongar in Symposium of Niyazi Berkes in 1999
(In Turkish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkes, Niyazi
20th-century scholars
1908 births
1988 deaths
Academic staff of Ankara University
Istanbul High School alumni
Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni
McGill University faculty
People from Nicosia
Turkish Cypriot sociologists
Turkish Marxists
Turkish Cypriot emigrants to the United Kingdom
Turkish Cypriot expatriates in Turkey
Turkish Cypriot expatriates in the United States