Sociologists should be heard

I had earlier written two pieces on the importance of sociological knowledge in Turkey. To the extent that sociological knowledge is used in politics and bureaucracy in Turkey, both a healthier development is recorded and it becomes more possible for social elements to understand one another better. Listening to sociologists in governing society is beneficial in every respect. No one has any doubt about this.

By contrast, it is a fact that the profession of sociology, whose yield is being drawn on more with each passing day, is far from the status it deserves in employment. Sociology graduates, many of them my own students, who have rallied against a clear discrimination, especially in the public sector, compared with similar professions despite having studied sociology, have been sending the following message insistently and from all quarters for days.

Today I leave the rest of my column to this message:

"As is known, in Turkey social work has long been done 'without sociologists.' Although almost all of Turkey's universities have a sociology department and the annual quota is 2838 (according to the 2008 ÖSYM results), by what logic can we explain that only '24' sociologists a year are hired into the public sector (0.4% of the 5091 sociologists who took the 2008 KPSS)? Again, after every kind of anomic and anomalous event experienced in Turkish society, sociologists are the first people who come to mind in solving the problems that arise, yet what is the real excuse for their not actually being present in any institution where a social solution is sought?

Sociologists, who before 1980 were employed 'by necessity' in most institutions, mostly cannot find employment, especially in state cadres, in the period we are in, while the minority who have been employed both suffer in many respects from the distress of not being able to practice their profession as required and have for a long time openly experienced the deep sorrow of receiving, at a rate of about 40 percent, less salary than their colleagues in the other professional groups with whom they work. That the main source of this distress is 'unfortunately' the state is especially thought-provoking.

'How' and 'why' can the wage injustice of our colleagues, who began to be employed in the public sector with the title of sociologist for the first time at the beginning of 2006, not be corrected even after 3.5 years? Does the fact that the injustice and wage inequality inflicted on our colleagues working in institutions such as the 'Ministry of Justice' and the 'Social Services and Child Protection Agency' is being inflicted 'in these two important institutions that dispense justice and remedy the grievances of their people' not point to a paradoxical situation? Or has grievance begun to be perceived as a 'right' for sociologists?

What are the reasons that no sociologist at all is placed in almost all of the state's institutions, indeed, 'even more,' in institutions where sociologists in essence ought to be, and that instead emphasis is constantly given to psychologists and social workers? Or, according to the mentality of the state, do sociologists take their place in society as a useless professional group? ...

There are many sociological problems around, but when there are no sociologists to explain them (that is, when the existing unemployed sociologists cannot find employment), why are sociologists mentioned as the first professional group that comes to mind in all segments of society, especially in 'the media,' and why are sociologists talked about in one of every 10 words? Because of the problems we are in and that have never been brought to a solution, we have come to the point of being unable to recommend this field of profession, which is regarded as very important 'in everyone's eyes,' to any of our young friends who want to choose it at university. While the state has so far ignored our grievance, at least do not remain insensitive to our problems!

Our request of you is that you voice, in your own pen, in your column, at least for one day, on behalf of thousands of aggrieved sociologists, our fundamental problems that we have briefly conveyed above."

Sociology Graduates and Students