One of the Intellectuals of the Early Republican Era: Mediha Esenel (Berkes)

Abstract

In this essay biography of Mediha Esenel (Berkes), one of the scientists of the early Turkish republican era and her works in the area of social sciences are addressed. Esenel was active in the circles of Yurt ye Dunya [Homeland and the World] periodical and in 1940s she was one of the scientists specifically emphasizing the universal values in the social sciences. In the second half of 1940s she was detached from the scientific researches due to "being labelled as a communist" and began to engage in translation works. She wrote books for the elementary schools. In none of her translations we can see her name as the translator. In sociology, especially in rural sociology, her works were among the firsts. Besides, contributions of Esenel on the method to study in gender and social sciences are extremely important.