Behice Boran
Encyclopedia
Behice Boran was a Turkish
Marxist politician, author and sociologist. As a dissenting political voice from the left, Boran was repeatedly imprisoned for her work and died in exile after the Turkish military coup of 1980.
in Istanbul
, Turkey
, and studied sociology at Michigan University in the United States. She received her PhD on sociology, and involved in Marxism
. She was nominated to Ankara University
, Faculty of Language and History-Geography (AÜ, DTCF) as an associate professor.
She wrote for periodicals Yurt ve Dünya (English: Motherland and World) and Adımlar (English: Steps).
She also joined the clandestine Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and began publishing left-wing periodicals which led to her sacking from the university. In 1950, she led the formation of the Turkish Peacelovers Association, which protested against Turkey's participation the Korean War
, which led to her arrest and a sentence of 15 months in prison.
Between 1965-69, Boran served as a deputy from the Workers Party of Turkey
(TİP). In 1970, she assumed the leadership of the party. She was arrested after the military coup of 1971 and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. After she was released following an amnesty, she re-established the TİP in 1975.
After the military coup of 1980, Boran went into exile in Europe, living as a political refugee in Sofia
, Brussels
and Düsseldorf
. In 1987, she announced that TİP and TKP had decided to merge. She died soon after this press conference from a heart disease in Brussels. Her body was brought to Istanbul
and her funeral turned into a mass demonstration, the first public show of force of Turkey's left-wing movement after the coup.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Marxist politician, author and sociologist. As a dissenting political voice from the left, Boran was repeatedly imprisoned for her work and died in exile after the Turkish military coup of 1980.
Biography
Boran graduated from American College for GirlsRobert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and studied sociology at Michigan University in the United States. She received her PhD on sociology, and involved in Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
. She was nominated to Ankara University
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
, Faculty of Language and History-Geography (AÜ, DTCF) as an associate professor.
She wrote for periodicals Yurt ve Dünya (English: Motherland and World) and Adımlar (English: Steps).
She also joined the clandestine Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and began publishing left-wing periodicals which led to her sacking from the university. In 1950, she led the formation of the Turkish Peacelovers Association, which protested against Turkey's participation the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, which led to her arrest and a sentence of 15 months in prison.
Between 1965-69, Boran served as a deputy from the Workers Party of Turkey
Workers Party of Turkey
Workers Party of Turkey was a Turkish political party, founded in 1961. It became the first socialist party in Turkey to win representation in the national parliament. It was banned twice and eventually merged with the Communist Party of Turkey in 1988.TİP was founded by a group of labor union...
(TİP). In 1970, she assumed the leadership of the party. She was arrested after the military coup of 1971 and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. After she was released following an amnesty, she re-established the TİP in 1975.
After the military coup of 1980, Boran went into exile in Europe, living as a political refugee in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. In 1987, she announced that TİP and TKP had decided to merge. She died soon after this press conference from a heart disease in Brussels. Her body was brought to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and her funeral turned into a mass demonstration, the first public show of force of Turkey's left-wing movement after the coup.