Server Tanilli (1931–2011) was a Turkish academic and author. While working as an academic he was attacked by the terrorists on 7 April 1978 which left him paralyzed from the chest down. He worked at the
University of Strasbourg, France, between 1980 and 2000 during his exile due to the
military coup. He returned to Turkey in 2000 and contributed to the ''
Cumhuriyet
''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: "Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Press ...
'' newspaper.
Early life and education
Tanilli was born in Istanbul in 1931.
[ He received a degree in law from Istanbul University and also, obtained a PhD from the same university.][
]
Career
Following his graduation, Tanilli joined his alma mater and became an associated professor in 1960.[ Later he worked at Istanbul University as the professor of ]constitutional law
Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fed ...
. His courses were mainly about the constitutional law and the history of civilizations.
Tanilli left Turkey after the 1980 military coup in Turkey and worked at the University of Strasbourg, France.[
]
Work
Tanilli published many books,[ and most of them were concerned with the Enlightenment and the ]French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
.[ He was also author of the biographies of the leading French figures, including ]Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...
, Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
, Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
and Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
.[
His book entitled ''What Kind of Democracy Do We Want?'' was seized based on the order of the Turkish ]State Security Court The State Security Court is a judicial institution in Jordan. It deals with cases regarding state security, but also with drug offences and other types of cases. The defendants in the court can be both military personnel as well as civilians.
The C ...
in 1988.
Views
Tanilli was a socialist
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 the ...
and believed that socialism is the final step of the progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...
reason.[ He argued in 1996 that one of the most significant problems that the Western democracies came across in the 20th century was the totalitarian political parties.][ For him such parties enjoyed the privileges offered by the liberal political setting, but they did not follow the ]democratic principles
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose go ...
following their election victories.
Assassination attempt
On 7 April 1978, Tanilli was severely wounded in a terrorist attack.[ He survived the attack but was paralyzed from the chest down.][ In early May, he was sent by the Turkish state to London for medical treatment.] The perpetrators were allegedly members of the Hearths of Idealism which is a parameter youth group affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has bee ...
.[
]
Later years and death
Tanilli returned to Turkey in 2000 and worked for ''Cumhuriyet'' newspaper.[ From 1999, Tanilli was the honorary member of the ]PEN International
PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internation ...
.[ He was recipient of the 2006 Sertel Democracy Prize.][
Tanilli died in Istanbul on 29 November 2011.] He was buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery
The Karacaahmet Cemetery ( tr, Karacaahmet Mezarlığı) is a 700-year-old historic cemetery, located in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Karacaahmet cemetery is the oldest and largest in Istanbul at , and the largest burial ground in Tur ...
.
References
External links
Overview of his publications
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanilli, Server
21st-century Turkish journalists
1931 births
2011 deaths
Turkish non-fiction writers
Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni
Survivors of terrorist attacks
Cumhuriyet people
Academic staff of Istanbul University
Academic staff of the University of Strasbourg
Turkish exiles
Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery
Writers from Istanbul
PEN International
Turkish socialists