The sociological ideas of Amiran Kurtkan Bilgiseven

The main subject of this thesis is to analyse Ȃmiran Kurtkan Bilgiseven's sociology in detail. Kurtkan is one of the most significant sociologists. Kurtkan has had a critical thinking of Western sociology and distant from eclecticist sociology. Kurtkan has a national viewpoint in her sociological analyses. She is a nationalist and conservative sociologist. Kurtkan has claimed that Turkish society is different from Western societies and class structure in Western societies cannot set in Turkey. Kurtkan has tried to explain the problems of Turkish society. Kurtkan has proposed solutions towards social problems and danger of social disintegration. She has looked Turkey's own benefits in her works and given importance to Turkish-Islamic synthesis. Kurtkan has based his sociological analysis on Islam, focused on tawhit understanding, formed "Together+Difference=Tawhit" and stated that Islam is not against secularism. In our thesis, firstly, life and works of Kurtkan have been mentioned and it has been determined that she has taken her advisor Ziyaeddin Fahri Fındıkoğlu's sociology understating as a reference. Secondly, Kurtkan's views about science, method and social sciences methodology have been analysed. Kurtkan has opposed to materialist science and sociological understanding of West and defended materialist and spiritual science understanding and also focused on the relation of science and religion. Kurtkan has presented a holistic opinion about social sciences methodology. Thirdly, prominent concepts in Kurtkan's sociology have been explained and it has been determined thatshe has brought social structure, social change, social development, social disintegration and social integration into the forefront. Fourthly, Kurtkan's opinions about sub- branches of sociology have been scrutinised. She has interested in rural-village sociology as village and peasantry is significant in Turkey. Kurtkan has interested in economic sociology and evaluated social development and economic progress in Turkey, analysed industrialization and the cooperative system and claimed that especially cooperation is one of significant factors in terms of economic progress in Turkey. Kurtkan has placed a particular importance to fiscal sociology which is one of sub- branches of sociology. First sociological study of this field in Turkey has been done by Kurtkan. She has asserted that fiscal sociology has a crucial role in terms of social and economic growth of Turkey. On the other hand, Kurtkan has also interested in educational sociology as she discovered that one of the main problems of Turkey is education. Kurtkan has proposed solutions towards the problems of national education system. One of the subjects that Kurtkan has interested is religion. Islam and tawhit understanding have a great role on sociological views of Kurtkan. He has laid emphasis on tawhit understanding, revealed the importance of innate science and based on the unity of science and religion. Fifthly, it has been mentioned Kurtkan's views about key issues of Turkish society that Kurtkan has already described as peasant and classless. Kurtkan has seen the discrimination of Alevi-Sünni, Turkish- Kurdish, women and men as the problems of sociological disintegration of Turkey. Finally, Kurtkan's contributions to Turkish sociology have been revealed. Kurtkan has been away from Western eclecticism and mimicry and tried to comprehend the crucial issue of Turkish society.