Atilla Yayla

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Atilla Yayla (born 1957) is a Turkish political thinker and a proponent of liberal democracy. He is professor of Politics, Political Economy and Political Philosophy at Gazi University in Turkey, and the current president of the Liberal Düşünce Topluluğu (Association for Liberal Thinking).

Yayla's views on Turkish history are controversial in Turkey, and have led to legal action against him in Turkish courts, which have driven the scholar into self-imposed exile.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

He was born in 1957 in Ankara, Turkey. He is a graduate of Ankara University, where he earned a Ph.D in Politics.

He is a visiting professor at the University of Buckingham.[1] He was the winner of the Anthony Fisher Prize in 2000 for his book on Islam, Civil Society and Market Economy.[1] Atilla Yayla has won the Personality of the Year Award from the Stockholm Network in 2007.[2]

[edit] Work and views

Atilla Yayla is the author of many books and articles in English and Turkish on Terrorism, Liberalism, Constructivist Rationalism, Social Justice, and Friedrich Hayek. He is also an advisor for Turkish filmmaker Sinan Çetin for his Platofilm Publication.

In his 1998 article "Türkiye'de İslam, İnsan Hakları ve Demokrasi" (Islam, Human Rights, and Democracy in Turkey), he suggests that the human rights and democracy should be implemented by Islamists in Turkey.[3]

In 2006, Yayla was charged with insulting the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk for pointing out that the early years of the republic were less democratic than the period after Turkey became a multi-party system,[4] and the cult of personality that has grown up around Atatürk since.[5]

[edit] Court case and exile

Yayla's views on Atatürk and the early years of the Turkish Republic led newspapers to proclaim him a traitor. In a court case, he was convicted and received a suspended 15 month jail sentence, which he will appeal.[6][7] Yayla was also dismissed temporarily from his academic post. Since then, he has been living in self-imposed exile in England.[4]

[edit] Books

  • On Terrorism (1990)
  • Liberalism (1992,1994,1997,2000,2003)
  • Liberal Approaches (1993, 2000)
  • The Road to Freedom (1993, 2000)
  • Social and Political Theory (ed.) (1994, 2000)
  • Rules and Order (Turkish translation of book by F.A. Hayek, 1994)
  • On the Welfare Party (with Melih Yürüsen) (1996, in Turkish and German)
  • On Turkish Political Parties (with Melih Yürüsen) (1996, in Turkish and German)
  • Introduction to Political Theory (1998)
  • Islam, Civil Society and the Market Economy (ed.) (1999, in English)
  • Road to Freedom: the Social and Economic Philosophy of Hayek (2000, in Turkish)
  • Guide to Protect Democracy (2001, in Turkish)
  • Statist Mentality and Market Economy (2001, in Turkish)
  • Dictionary of Political Thought (2007, 5th ed., in Turkish)
  • Market Civilization (2004, in Turkish)

[edit] Selected Articles

  • “Terrorism: A Conceptual Framework” (1980)
  • “Minorities and Religious Freedom in Democracies: The Case of the Amish Community” (1997, in English and Turkish)
  • “Islam, Secularism and Democracy in Turkey” (1998)
  • “The Theoretical and Actual Meaning of Human Rights” (1994)
  • “Constructivist Rationalism, Justice, and Socialism” (1993)
  • “On Theories of Justice” (1991)
  • “Information Age: Some Misunderstandings” (1998)
  • “Cultural Clashes Between Minorities and Larger Society in Democracies” (in English, 1997)
  • “A Guide to ‘Protect' Democracy” (2000)
  • (2006, December 6). "Freedom of expression in Turkey". the International Herald Tribune.
  • "Freedom of Expression Under Attack in Turkey. International Society for Individual Liberty.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b New Visiting Professor in Economics and International Studies. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  2. ^ Golden Umbrella Think Tank Awards (pdf). Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  3. ^ Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis (2007-06-20). Anti-Turkish Hysteria from the Financial Times: A Challenge to Democracy. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  4. ^ a b Turkey to Alter Speech Law - New York Times
  5. ^ BBC NEWS | Europe | Academic sentenced over Ataturk
  6. ^ Turkish academic convicted of insulting Ataturk. Reuters UK (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  7. ^ Professor convicted of insulting Ataturk. Associated Press (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
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