Mediha Esenel

Mediha Esenel (1914 – 2005) was a Turkish sociologist, writer and journalist. She was a faculty member of Ankara University until January 1947 when she resigned from her teaching post during the purge of leftist academics.

Early life and education She was born in Istanbul in 1914. She carried out research on rural sociology.

Work She was a regular contributor of İsmail Hakkı Baltacıoğlu's journal, Yeni Adam, between 1937 and 1946. During her studies at Ankara University she contributed to the newspapers Vatan and Tan. Following her resignation from Ankara University in 1948 she wrote a textbook targeting primary school students.

Personal life and death She married Niyazi Berkes with whom she had a son, Fikret. They divorced in 1954.