Mübeccel Kıray

Urban sociologist (B. 23^rd February 1923, Izmir - D. 7^th November 2007, Istanbul). Her full name was Mübeccel Belik Kıray. She was from a family who had immigrated to Izmir after escaping from the Greek Massacre starting in the year of 1897 in Crete. She finished the İzmir Kız High School (1940). After that, she entered the Department of Philosophy of the Faculty of Languages, History and Geography (DTCF) of the Ankara University and she graduated from there in 1944. She became one of the students of the famous philosophers Nusret Hızır in the faculty.

Mübeccel Kıray was a fan of Muzaffer Şerif and Behice Boran. She studied her doctorate in the field of Sociology and on the topic of “the Norms of Consumption” under the tutorship of Behice Boran (1946). She was one of people arrested in the operation (1951) of the Türkiye Komünist Party (TKP). After coming out of prison, she worked in the American News Office. After that, she studied for another doctorate degree (1950) in the field of anthropology in the Chicago Northwestern University in the United States of America (USA). After returning back to Turkey, she became an associate professor by passing a test out-of-school (1959). The same year, she entered to the Middle East Technical University (METU) and she made an effort for the development of the Department of Social Sciences in METU until the year 1973. She became a professor in the year 1966 and she worked as the Chief of the Department of Social Sciences (1965-1972). 

Prof. Dr. Kıray left METU in 1973 and went to the London Schools of Economics in London as a “Morris Ginsberg Fellow”. In her return, she gave lessons concerning urbanization in the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) (1974). She worked as the President of the Sociology Professorship of Istanbul Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences. She worked in the Marmara University after the year 1982. She was assigned as the Head of the Department of Urbanism of the Department of Public Administration. During this while, she gave lessons in the Austin Texas University for one year and she got retired in the year 1989. She gave serial conferences in Norway Bergen University, in Cairo American University, in USA Berkeley University and in Zurich Technical University during the time she worked.

Mübeccel Kıray, who played an important role in the institutionalization of the sociology in universities in Turkey and created a school with her method of dealing with the social change, as well as known with her studies concerning rural and urban sociology (sociology) based on field researches, investigated the changes in the social structure of the town Ereğli and the problems related to the foundation of the Iron and Steel Plant of Ereğli in her book named “Ereğli: Ağır Sanayiden Önce Bir Sahil Kasabası” (1964).

In her work named “Social Stratification as an Obstacle in Development” (1970), which she prepared together with J. Hendrick, she investigated four villages in the Region of Çukurova in different technologic development levels. In her work named “Örgütleşemeyen Kent” (1972), she investigated the city of Izmir and the process of how this city was transformed to a metropolitan city of an underdeveloped country until the mid-way through the XX. century.

Prof. Dr. Mübeccel Kıray received the Mustafa Parlar Award of METU, the title of honorary professor and the Women of Enlightenment Award from the Eskişehir Anadolu University. She was chosen as the honorary member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) in the year 1994. Mübeccel Kıray, who played an important role in the institutionalization of the sociology in universities in Turkey and who created a school with her method of dealing with the social change, has published her memories in her interview book named Hayatımda Hiç Arkaya Bakmadım. Mrs. Kıray was married to the medical doctor İbrahim Kıray.

WORKS:

Ereğli: Ağır Sanayiden Önce Bir Sahil Kasabası (1964), Social Stratification as an Obstacle in Development (1970), Toplumbilim Yazıları (1982), Örgütleşemeyen Kent: İzmir (İstanbul 1998), Değişen Toplum Yapısı (1998), Kentleşme Yazıları (1998), “İstihlak Normları” Toplumsal Yapı Toplumsal Değişme (1999), Örgütleşemeyen Kent: İzmir (1998), Seçme Yazılar (1999), Hayatımda Hiç Arkaya Bakmadım (2001), Hayatımda Hiç Arkaya Bakmadım (2002), Tüketim Normları Üzerine Karşılaştırmalı Bir Araştırma (2005), Yedi Yerleşme Noktasında Turizmle İlgili Sosyal Yapı Araştırması (2007).