Modernization of humanities and political sciences in Turkiye in the works of Zeki Velidi Togan

Abstract

This article examines Z.V. Togan’s intellectual development and thoughts about
Turkic unity as a scientist who made significant contributions to the development of Turkish
historical science. He is recognized as one of the most well-known historians of Turkiye and
the Turkic peoples in general. He was a pioneer in the development of historical science in
the Republic of Turkiye. The articles of Türk Yurdu journal need special attention because
they explain his research methodologies in detail. He underlined the need of working with
multinational experts and understanding several languages. Z.V. Togan traveled to Europe for
political reasons and found great success. After achieving international renown, he returned to
Turkiye to teach at Istanbul University. This accelerated the evolution of Turkish historiography.
Z.V. Togan urged that Turkish historians’ works to be translated into Western languages and
be objective in their coverage of historical events. He is a scientist who was well-versed in
Turkic history and worked for their cultural unity. His ideas and concepts are well tracked in
his essays in such journals as Türk Yurdu, Yurt Bilgisi, Orhun. His work titled Tarihte Usul is
now a reference book for many scientists, highlighting theories and approaches for examining
genuine historical problems.