Place of Korkut Tuna in the History of the Sociology Department of Istanbul University

Abstract

The Sociology Department at the Faculty of Letters of lstanbul University is known as the place where sociological thought was first fertilized at university level in Turkey. Apart from pioneering sociology to take root as a discipline in Turkey, the department has initiated the tradition of a unique and independent sociological thought. The studies of prominent names such as Ziya Gokalp, Hilmi Ziya Ulken, Nurettin Sazi Kosemihal, Cahit Tanyol and Baykan Sezer have contributed significantly to the formation of this stated tradition. The tradition of sociology or the way sociological research is conducted in Turkey revolves more around the lines of historical sociology. This study claims that through his own works and the graduate theses he directed, Korkut Tuna has expanded and enriched the scope of conducting sociological research at the Sociology Department of Istanbul University by focusing for the first time on a type of sociology that centers on the micro-structure of daily life aside from a macro-scale historical sociology that has been traditionally identified with the existence of this institution.