Religion and seculartiy at Niyazi Berkes

Religion and secularism is a subject that has been discussed by the political establishment and social sciences from past to present. Several people of opinion have conducted various studies and made comments on this subject, which has never been removed from Turkey's agenda. In this study, it is aimed to examine the views of Niyazi Berkes, one of the leading intellectuals of his time, on religion and secularism. Niyazi Berkes is among the first sociologists of the republican period. His childhood and witnessing the last period of the Ottoman state and the early years of the Republic were influential in the formation of his ideas. Despite being one of the first sociologists to conduct field research in Turkey; Berkes appears to be a social scientist who deals with the problems of the country and offers solutions. This study, which mainly focuses on Niyazi Berkes' views on religion and secularism, consists of five chapters. In the first chapter; the subject, purpose, method and limitations of the research are mentioned. In the second second chapter; Niyazi Berkes' childhood, education life and proffessional life are discussed in general. In the third chapter; the conceptual framework of the concept of religion and secularism is addressed, and in the fourth chapter, Niyazi Berkes' views on religion and secularism are presented. In the fifth and last section, there is the conclusion part. Keywords: Religion, Secular, Secularisim, Niyazi Berkes, Sociology, Society.