In Memoriam | Prof. Mete Tunçay ( 1936-2025)

Prof. Mete Tunçay [1]passed away on August 18, 2025, at the age of 89, at the Etiler Nursing Home Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Center, where he had been receiving treatment for long-term health problems.

Prof. Mete Tunçay produced important works in the field of the history of Turkish political thought.[2]

Mavi Boncuk |

In Memoriam | 

Prof. Mete Tunçay ( 1936-2025)

Mete Tunçay, born on June 27, 1936, is a Turkish political scientist and professor of history. He has made significant contributions to the development of the discipline of the history of political thought in Türkiye, authoring important works such as "Left-Wing Currents in Turkey" and "The Establishment of Single-Party Rule in the Republic of Turkey." He has held numerous positions throughout his academic career, pioneering the publication of the journals "History and Society" and "Social History" and playing a role in the establishment of the History Foundation. He served as the founding head of the History Department at Istanbul Bilgi University and achieved numerous academic successes.

RECOMMENDED

Mete Tunçay|Critical Historical Writings

The surge in historical research and debate that began after the military coup of September 12, 1980, continues today. After 1980, every political, intellectual, and social movement felt compelled to confront, or at least distance itself from, official history and ideology. However, these debates did not yield very productive results. In fact, with their provocative tone and sloppy perspectives, these debates contributed to the reproduction of official history and ideology. Thus, the acceptance of history as a "field of belief" remained unchanged. Without this acceptance, historical research ceased to be relevant. A schematic understanding of history that suited their favorite team was sufficient for the supporters.

Of course, it is also possible to discuss historians and historical studies outside this common understanding. This book is a compilation of important articles by Mete Tunçay, a pioneer in this field of studies. Tunçay's Critical History Writings, which broke new ground in single-party period studies with his book The Establishment of the Single-Party Government (1923-1931), also deepens this valley. These articles, each a classic in their field, explore the continuities and ruptures in political history using concepts and approaches from political and social sciences, but certainly using a wealth of material.

In this respect, Critical History Writings presents a level that historians who will follow Tunçay's path must confront and surpass. This level represents one of the concrete manifestations of the changing understanding of history in Turkey. If historical curiosity today yields more fruitful results than in the 1980s, and if we can speak of a negotiable history outside of "realms of belief," we must acknowledge that we have arrived here through the path paved by Mete Tunçay's work.

328 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nda Sosyalizm ve Milliyetçilik

Socialism and Nationalism in the Ottoman Empire 

Mete Tunçay (editor), Erik-Jan Zürcher (editor) 

Ethnic and religious elements not defined as "minorities" until the Treaty of Lausanne; to narrow the scope a bit, non-Muslim Ottomans pioneered the spread of leftist ideas and movements, as they did in almost all Westernization movements: a significant historical period that has not yet seen the light and writing it deservedly. With articles by Zürcher, Feroz Ahmad, Adanır, Dumont, Noutsos, Yalımov, and Ter Minassian... 

280 pages, Paperback 

First published January 1, 2010

 [1] METE TUNÇAY was born in Istanbul in 1936. He studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University. He became a Doctor of Political Science in 1961 and an Associate Professor of Political Theory in 1966 at the same institution. In 1961, he conducted research at the London School of Economics and Political Science on a Rockefeller scholarship. He served as a research specialist at the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) for one year between 1972 and 1973. In 1979, he was a guest of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the Soviet Union, and in 1979-1980, he conducted research at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University in the USA on a Fulbright scholarship. He became the Carl von Ossietzsky Professor at the Free University of Berlin in 1987-1988. In 1984, he began publishing the journal History and Society (İletişim Yayınları). He participated in the founding of the Turkish Economic and Social History Foundation and served as editor of the journal "Social History," published by the same institution. Professor Mete Tunçay, the founding chair of the History Department at Bilgi University and continuing his work there, has authored numerous translations. 

[2] His published works: Left-Wing Currents in Turkey 1908-1925 (AU, SBF Publications, 1967), History of Political Thought in the West I-II-III, (AU SBF Publications, 1969; Bilgi University Publications 2006), History of Socialist Political Thought I-II (compilation, Bilgi Publishing House 1976), Establishment of the Single-Party Rule in the Republic of Turkey 1923-1931 (Yurt Publications, 1981), New Information on the Old Left (Belge Publications, 1982), Knowing What Will Be Known (Alan Publications, 1983), 1923 Workers' Union (BDS Publications 1989), Left-Wing Currents in Turkey II, 1925-1936 (BDS Publications, 1991), Jihad and Deportation: Writings of 1915-1916 (Afa Publications, 1991), Critical History Writings (Liberte Publications, 2006), International Workers' Union (with Erden Akbulut, TÜSTAV Publications 2009).

Türkiye’de Sol Akımlar 1908-1925 (AÜ, SBF Yayınları, 1967), Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler Tarihi I-II-III, (AÜ SBF Yayınları, 1969; Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları 2006), Sosyalist Siyasal Düşünüş Tarihi I-II (derleme, Bilgi Yayınevi 1976), TC’nde Tek-Parti Yönetiminin Kurulması 1923-1931 (Yurt Yayınları, 1981), Eski Sol Üzerine Yeni Bilgiler (Belge Yayınları, 1982), Bilineceği Bilmek (Alan Yayınları, 1983), 1923 Amele Birliği (BDS Yayınları 1989), Türkiye’de Sol Akımlar II, 1925-1936 (BDS Yayınları, 1991), Cihat ve Tehcir: 1915-1916 Yazıları (Afa Yayınları, 1991), Eleştirel Tarih Yazıları (Liberte Yayınları, 2006), Beynelmilel İşçiler İttihadı (Erden Akbulut ile birlikte, TÜSTAV Yayınları 2009).