Sadun Aren (19 March 1922 – 8 March 2008) was a Turkish academic and politician. He was one of the cofounders of
Workers' Party of Turkey and of the leading figures of socialist movement in Turkey.
Early life and education
Aren was born on 19 March 1922 in
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010.
The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...
.
His father was a civil servant, and his mother was a housewife who died when Sadun Aren was a child.
[ Due to his father's frequent appointments he completed his primary and secondary education in different cities, including Eskişehir, Ankara and Istanbul. He graduated 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 ...
's Faculty of Political Science in 1944. He held a PhD which he received from the same university.[
]
Career and arrests
Following the completion of his PhD studies Aren began to work at the Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University, as an associate professor and taught courses in sociology. In 1951 he was sent to Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
to work at the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
' European Economic Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
.[ However, he resigned from the office and began to work at BBC's Turkish section.][ He returned to Turkey in 1956, but was arrested for a short time due to his communist activities.][ He became full professor in 1957 at the Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University. Following the ]military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
on 27 May 1960 Aren was appointed to the economic committee of the military government. In 1961 he involved in the establishment of the Workers' Party of Turkey and became the head of Ankara branch of the party in 1962. Aren won a seat in the Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
for the party representing Istanbul in 1965.[ Within the party Aren and ]Behice Boran
Behice Boran (1 May 1910 – 10 October 1987) was a Turkish Marxist politician, author and sociologist. As a dissenting political voice from the left, Boran was repeatedly imprisoned for her work and died in exile after the Turkish military c ...
formed an alliance.[ They both resigned from the party in 1968 due to his opposition against the views of ]Mehmet Ali Aybar
Mehmet Ali Aybar (; 5 October 1908 – 10 July 1995) was a lawyer, member of the Turkish parliament, the second president of the Workers Party of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye İşçi Partisi or briefly ''TİP''), the founder and President of the S ...
who headed the Workers' Party. Aybar did not support the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in August 1968 and argued that a non-authoritarian and democratic version of socialism was needed in Turkey.[
Immediately after the ]military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
on 12 March 1971 Aren was arrested and imprisoned for three years in Niğde.[ He was not allowed to continue his academic work at the university and began to work as an advisor to a trade union, DİSK.][ He was also imprisoned one year after the ]military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
on 12 September 1980 and released in 1984.[
Aren founded a political party, Socialist Unity Party, in 1991. Following the dissolution of the party he joined Freedom and Solidarity Party and was made the party's honorary chair.][
]
Personal life and death
Aren married to Munise Hanım on 25 October 1949 with whom he had two children, a daughter and a son.[ He died in Ankara on 8 March 2008 and buried there on 10 March.
]
Works and views
Aren is the writer of several books.[ He published several articles in the newspapers and magazines, including '' Yön'',] ''Emek'', ''Marksizm ve Gelecek'' and ''Politika''.[
When Aren was a member of the Workers' Party he claimed that the focus should not be exclusively on the theory.][ He also argued that the clash between ]socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes th ...
and capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...
should be nonviolent due to the changing nature of the economy and that discussions which led to polemics
Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topics ...
were not useful.[ Although Aren also did not support the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovia like Mehmet Ali Aybar, he was an ardent critic of Aybar's conceptualization of democratic socialism.] Aren considered statism
In political science, statism is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation and the means of production.
While in use s ...
as an ideological tool to mobilize the masses.[
]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aren, Sadun
20th-century scholars
20th-century Turkish politicians
21st-century Turkish politicians
1922 births
2008 deaths
Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni
Ankara University faculty
Deputies of Istanbul
Turkish communists
Turkish political party founders
Turkish political scientists
Turkish prisoners and detainees
Turkish social scientists
Workers' Party of Turkey politicians
20th-century political scientists