Disciplinary Vectors of Secular Reform: A Biographical Network Analysis of German-Jewish Scholars in Turkish Higher Education

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Abstract

This paper investigates the role of German-Jewish scholars appointed during Atatürk’s 1933 university reform in shaping the secular transformation of higher education in Türkiye. Drawing on academic biographies, archival documents, and secondary literature, the study analyzes the institutional and public engagements of fifty exiled scientists who served for at least five years. Employing biography-based social network analysis, the paper visualizes their academic and extra-institutional contributions between 1933 and 1955. The study reveals that the institutional secularization of higher education unfolded primarily through fields such as medicine and law, where scientific reasoning and state-oriented professionalization took precedence over traditional religious authority.

Author

• Seyma Aksoy, Yıldız Technical University Türkiye