ISMAYIL HAKKI BALTACIOĞLU COLLECTION

Who is Ismayıl Hakkı Baltacıoğlu?

Ismayıl Hakkı Baltacıoğlu, born in İstanbul in 1886, was a sophisticated person who had witnessed many important developments pertaining to the Ottoman State and Republic of Turkey before his death in 1978. After completing his secondary education at Fevziye Junior High School and Vefa High School, Mustafa Satı Bey, a famous pedagogist who became the principal of Darülmuallimin (Male Teacher's Institute) in 1909, sent him to Paris, London, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany to do research on pedagogy and handicrafts. Baltacıoğlu began teaching pedagogy in Darülfünun in 1913 and continued in this role until 1933. Baltacıoğlu became the first rector of Turkey in 1923, and is the foremost representative of the "Educational Reform Movement" in Turkey. He wrote prolifically on the disciplines of education, sociology, philosophy and religion. He also produced literary works such as stories, plays and novels.

What's included in the collection?

This collection has been diligently and carefully preserved by Haldun Özen, who was the founding member of the following institutions: Turkish Chamber of Survey and Cadastre Engineers, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, and Economic and Social History Foundation of Turkey. Upon Özen's death, with the permission of the Baltacıoğlu family (Ali Baltacıoglu, Fadime Baltacıoglu Salman, Hatice Baltacıoglu), the collection was donated by Ülkü Özen, the wife of Haldun Özen, to Boğaziçi University. The collection of Ismayıl Hakkı Baltacıoğlu, who as a thinker and scientist contributed greatly to the history of Turkish education, is comprised of Baltacıoğlu's handwritten articles, some handwritten manuscripts of his books, correspondence between Baltacıoğlu and his friends, original proof sheets of the journal Yeni Adam, the published writings of Ismayıl Hakkı Baltacıoğlu's wife Samime Baltacıoğlu, newspaper articles on Famide Baltacıoğlu and photographs.