Niyazi Berkes'in Unutulan Yıllar'ına Özel Atıfla Türk Üniversitelerinin İlk Yarım Asrı Üzerine Değerlendirmeler

Abstract

European universities, whose history can be traced back to a thousand years, were restructured in the 19th century under the ideas of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), on the bases of two functions: research and teaching. This new structure gradually spread throughout the world. In Turkey, Dârülfünun, which started operating regularly from 1900, was closed in 1933 and replaced by Istanbul University. Ankara University and other universities were established in subsequent years. This article questions the mission and vision of Turkish universities, as well as their financial resources and personnel. The main argument of the article is that Turkish universities were established without considering the prevailing general mission and vision of their time, with limited financial resources and insufficient personnel, and that they have always been subservient to politics. The partial autonomy and academic freedom legally granted to universities half a century later could not have been translate into practice. The article substantiates these claims with specific reference to the academic memoirs of Niyazi Berkes. For Turkish universities, to become qualified universities and contribute to the world’s scholarly output, they must free from the dictates of daily politics and achieve a genuine environment of intellectual and academic freedom.