Evaluation of the Documents in the Personnel File of Hungarian Turkologist János Eckmann in the Istanbul University Archives

János Eckmann (1905–1971), who made significant contributions to Turkology in Turkey through the scientific studies he published and the students he trained during his 17 years of service in the country, worked as a lecturer at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History, and Geography (DTCF), between 1944 and 1948. He worked as a specialist at Istanbul University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature, between 1951 and 1961. He spent the last ten years of his life in California, USA. During his stay at the University of California, Los Angeles, J. Eckmann kept in touch with Turkey and his friends in Turkey and continued to contribute to Turkology with his scientific activities there. He published books and many articles, some of which were published after his death. In this article, basic information about Eckmann’s life and career is provided based on 45 documents in the personnel file at Istanbul University, where he worked for 10 years. Then, especially in the conclusion section, all 45 documents are analyzed and new information about Eckmann’s life and academic career obtained from these documents is shared with readers. In addition, the annexes of this article provide facsimiles of 6 original documents, including a life story and resignation petition written by Eckmann himself, as well as appointment recommendation letters by Ahmet Caferoğlu and Mehmet Kaplan

Human life · Turkish · Working life · Educational Methods and Analysis · Historical Turkish Studies · Ottoman and Turkish Studies