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 Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

and received a degree in law from

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

. He completed his Ph.D. studies at the

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

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. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in 197 ...

Turhan Feyzioğlu Turhan Feyzioğlu (1922 – 24 March 1988) was a Turkish academic and a politician. Early life He was born in Kayseri. After finishing the primary school in Kayseri, he attended Galatasaray High School and later studied at Istanbul University ...

and

Attilâ İlhan Attilâ İlhan (15 June 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, journalist and reviewer. Early life and education Attilâ İlhan was born in Menemen in İzmir Province, Turkey on 15 June 1925. He received most of his pr ...

. Kapani also contributed to ''Yeni Gün'' (), the official newspaper of the Liberty Party. Following the military coup on 27 May 1960 the DP was banned, and a

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

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 lawyer, politician, columnist and intellectual who was assassinated. Biography Aksoy was born 1917 in İbradı, Konya vilayet (now Antalya Province) to the member of the Ottoman parliame ...

, Turan Güneş, Doğan Avcıoğlu,

Coşkun Kırca Coşkun Kırca (27 March 1927 – 24 February 2005) was a Turkish diplomat, journalist and politician. He served as the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1995. He was at first a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), then of the Rep ...

and

Mümtaz Soysal Osman Mümtaz Soysal (15 September 1929 – 11 November 2019) was a Turkish professor of constitutional law, political scientist, politician, human rights activist, ex-prisoner of conscience, senior advisor, columnist, and author. Soysal serve ...

. 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 North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...

and Faculty of Political Science which criticized

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Süleyman Demirel Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu 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 serv ...

of acting against

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

. From the late 1960s Kapani's views were frequently featured in ''

Ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

'', 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 Karşıyaka () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 51 km2, and its population is 346,264 (2022). The district extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of ...

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