Ayşe Âfet İnan (Uzmay) (born 29 November 1908, Thessaloniki – died 8 June 1985, Ankara), Turkish sociologist, historian and academic. She is the spiritual daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Afet Inan, one of the first history professors of the Republic, established the first chair of Turkish revolution history at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography. He has about 50 books and many articles on the history of Turkish civilization and revolution. He is one of the historians who put forward the Turkish History Thesis.
She is a republican woman who served as an ideologue in laying the foundations of the new understanding of history of the republican period and in the construction of female identity.
life
He was born on 29 November 1908 in the town of Doyran (Doirani) in Thessaloniki. His father is İsmail Hakkı Bey (Uzmay), a forest officer, and his mother is Şehzane Hanım, the granddaughter of Doyran Mudarri Emrullah Efendi. His family migrated to Anatolia after the Balkan Wars.
Afet Inan started his primary education in the Mihalıççık district of Eskişehir. He lost his mother as a result of tuberculosis in 1915. He continued his education in Ankara and Biga, and received his six-year primary school diploma in 1920. The family moved to Alanya in 1921. Afet Hanım received her teaching license in Elmalı in 1922 and was appointed as the head teacher at Elmalı Girls' School. He constantly moved because of his father's job; She graduated from Bursa Teachers' School for Girls in 1925 and started working at Redd-i İlhak Primary School in İzmir. As a result of meeting Atatürk, she had the opportunity to continue her education in the following years.
Meeting with Atatürk and his teaching years
Afet Hanım had the opportunity to meet President Atatürk during a tea visit while she was starting her new job at the Redd-i İlhak Primary School in 1925. Since his family was from Thessaloniki Doyran, he attracted the attention of the president and Atatürk met his family the next day. Explaining to Atatürk that she wanted to continue her education and learn a foreign language, Ms. Afet was appointed to Ankara after a short time. She was sent to Lausanne, Switzerland, with the permission of the Ministry, to learn French.
When she returned home in 1927, she studied at the French Girls' High School for a while. Meanwhile, he took the secondary education history teacher exam and got a teaching license and was appointed to Ankara Music Teachers' School as a "history and civics teacher". (1929-1930) When he took office, Atatürk found the book he was going to teach for civics insufficient. Thereupon, she translated the book Instruction Civique, which she read at the French High School for Girls. Afet Hanım's translations, Tevfik Bıyıklıoğlu's translations from German works, and Atatürk's writings on some subjects were combined to create the book “Civil Knowledge for Citizens”. The book was used as a textbook in secondary schools and was published several times until 1935. After 1932, she continued teaching at Ankara Girls' High School.
Granting women's political rights
Afet Hanım, who was interested in working on women's rights, gave a conference on the electoral rights of Turkish women on 3 April 1930 at the Turkish Hearth, upon Atatürk's request. This was the first conference given by Afet Inan. Afet Hanım, who took lessons from the most famous orator of the time, Hamdullah Suphi Bey for this conference, personally drew the dress that Atatürk would wear and gave her diamond cufflinks for her shirt.
Founder of Turkish Historical Society
When Atatürk asked her to work on the explanation of the 2nd and 3rd articles of the Turkish Hearths Law, Ms. Afet took the floor as the Aksaray delegate at the Turkish Hearths Congress, which took place on April 27 - 28, 1930. He read a speech explaining the purpose and function of the Turkish Hearths, expressed a thesis that would later be described as the Turkish History Thesis, and made a proposal for the establishment of a committee to scientifically examine Turkish history and civilization. She was among the 16 founding members of the Turkish History Committee, which was formed after the congress on this proposal.
After the Turkish Hearths were closed on April 10, 1931, by the order of Atatürk, the committee decided to become an association with the same founders and took the name "Turkish History Research Society", and on October 3, 1935, its name was changed to the Turkish Historical Society. Afet Hanım was the president of the institution during the years 1935-1952 and 1957-1958.
Various studies in the field of history
Outline of Turkish History
Afet Hanım participated in the scientific studies of the Turkish History Committee after the establishment of the committee. The delegation wrote the book called Turkish History Main Hatları, which will form the basis of the Turkish History Thesis. Afet Hanım also took part in the writing of the book, which was taught in high schools between 1931-1941.
Piri Reis map
In 1929, he took part in the delegation of the Turkish History Society, which examined the Piri Reis map found during the works to transform Topkapi Palace into a museum, and tried to promote the map in the world.
Skull of Mimar Sinan
In the early 1930s, he carried out studies on “identifying the skull of the Turkish race”. In line with these studies, graves were opened in many parts of Turkey and skulls were measured. When there was a debate among historians about whether Mimar Sinan was of Turkish or Armenian or Greek origin, Afet Hanım claimed that he was Turkish and suggested that his tomb be opened and his skull measured, and the result presented to Atatürk. Atatürk, who was watching the discussions, made a note on a piece of paper that he wanted a statue of Sinan to be built and took care of Mimar Sinan.
This measurement was made on August 1, 1935, and the result showed that Mimar Sinan had a brachycephalic skull.
First lesson at DTCF
Afet Hanım gave the first lecture at the opening of the Faculty of Languages, History and Geography of Ankara University on January 9, 1936, as the vice president of the Turkish Historical Society. When she was offered a teaching position at the newly established Faculty of Languages, History and Geography, she said that she could only accept this position after her master's and doctorate studies.
Academic life
Afet Hanım, who was assigned to study in Geneva with the letter numbered 14 on October 1935, 40390, became a student of the Swiss anthropologist Eugene Pittard in the department of modern and contemporary history at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of the University of Geneva; He completed his undergraduate studies in July 1938 by presenting his thesis titled "The economic history of the Turkish Ottoman era", and completed his doctorate in July 1939 with the thesis titled "On the anthropological character of the Turkish people and Turkish history" and received the title of doctor of sociology. Afet Hanım, who studied 64 thousand skeletal remains in Anatolia for her doctoral study, gave conferences in Geneva and Bucharest during her education years; She participated in the congresses of the Turkish Historical Society by presenting papers.
After returning to the country, she continued her lessons at Ankara Girls' High School and was appointed as an assistant professor at the Ankara Faculty of Language, History and Geography. He became associate professor in 1942 and professor in 1950.
Afet Hanım, who married Rıfat Inan, a gynecology and obstetrician, in 1940 and took the surname Inan, had two children, Arı and Demir.
After 1950, Afet Inan gave lectures on the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish Revolution at Ankara Science Faculty, Hacettepe University, Ege University Faculty of Pharmacy and Ankara Military Academy.
He made studies in the United Kingdom between 1961-1962. Between 1955 and 1979, he represented the Turkish Historical Society at the UNESCO Turkish National Commission. He was the chair of the Turkish Republic and Turkish Revolution History Department at Ankara University, and retired voluntarily in 1977 while he was in this position. He began to write his memoirs in his retirement.
Death
Afet Inan died on 8 June 1985, at the age of 76, of a heart attack at his home in Ankara. He was buried in Ankara.
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