Niyazi Berkes facts for kids

Niyazi Berkes (born October 21, 1908 – died December 18, 1988) was a famous Turkish Cypriot sociologist. A sociologist is someone who studies how societies work, how people live together, and how cultures change over time. Berkes is best known for his important studies on the history and development of Turkey.

Early Life and Learning

Niyazi Berkes was born in Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus. This was on September 21, 1908. He had a twin brother named Enver. They were named after important leaders of the Young Turk Revolution. This revolution was a big change in Turkey's government.

Niyazi started his schooling in Nicosia. Later, he moved to Istanbul, Turkey. He finished high school at Istanbul Erkek Lisesi in 1928. At first, he studied law at university. But he soon switched to philosophy. He wanted to explore bigger ideas. In 1931, Berkes graduated from the philosophy department at Istanbul University.

His Career and Work

After university, Berkes found it hard to get a job as a professor. He didn't have special connections. A friend suggested he apply to a place called the People's House in Ankara. There, he learned about Kemalism. This was a new way of thinking about Turkey's future. It allowed for many new ideas and debates.

In 1935, he became an assistant at the same place. That same year, he went to the United States. He studied sociology at the University of Chicago until 1939. When he came back to Turkey in 1939, he became an associate professor of sociology. He worked at Ankara University, which had just opened a new Philosophy Department. He stayed there until 1945.

In 1952, Berkes was invited to be a visiting professor. This was at the McGill University Institute of Islamic Studies in Canada. By 1956, he became a full professor at McGill. He retired from McGill University in 1975. After retiring, he moved to England. He didn't write new books, but he kept writing for Turkish newspapers. Niyazi Berkes passed away on December 18, 1988, in Hythe, England.

What He Contributed

Niyazi Berkes is a very well-known Turkish sociologist. He is famous for studying how Turkey changed over time. His most important work is called The Development of Secularism in the Turkish Revolution. Secularism means keeping government and religion separate.

Besides his ideas on how society works, he also studied Turkey's journey. He looked at how Turkey moved from the old Ottoman Empire to a modern country.

His Books and Writings

• In 1943, he wrote an important essay. It was about "The Development of Secularism in the Turkish Revolution." Many people see this as his greatest work.
• His first book came out in 1964. It was titled "Why have we been stumbling along the road to modernization for two hundred years?"
• After that, he published "Westernization, Nationalism and Social Revolution."
• In 1969, he released several books: "Islamism, Nationalism, Socialism," "Islamism, Nationalism and Socialism in the Arab world," and "Economic History of Turkey" (which had two parts).
• In 1973, "The Western Question in Turkish Thought" was published.
• In 1974, he wrote "Turkey's Coming of Age."
• In 1976, "Asian Letters" was published.
• His shorter articles and essays were put together into three books. These were "Atatürk and Revolution" (1982), "Theocracy and Secularism" (1984), and "Philosophical and Social Essays" (1985).