Former Directors
Prof. Fikret TÜRKMEN
He was born in Boğazlıyan/Yozgat in 1954. After he finished elementary and secondary school in Boğazlıyan, he went to Bursa and graduated from Bursa Işıklar military high school. In 1963 he registered to Atatürk University/Erzurum. He attended to the department of Turkish Language and Literature and graduated in 1967. At the same year he appointed to Konya Male High School as literature teacher. Next year he succeeded the exam of Atatürk University and became a research assistant in the department of Turkish Language and Literature.
In 1969 he was sent to İstanbul to Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kaplan for his PhD studies and he finished his PhD thesis “a Comprehensive Study about the Tale on Admirer Garip” in 1972.
In 1974 he was sent to France for post-doc studies. He attended courses, seminars and conferences on methodology on folklore and folk literature with Prof. Dr. Pertev Naili Boratav from Sorbonne/Paris.
He went back to Turkey in 1976. He studied in Atatürk University till 1978. In 1978 he appointed to newly established Faculty of Social Sciences (now Faculty of Literature) in Ege University.
He gained the degree of “associate professor” by his work "Tahir ile Zühre" in 1980 and he gained the degree of professor by his thesis "Nasreddin Hoca Fıkraları" in 1986.
In 1992 he played a major role in founding Institution of Turkish World Studies within the scope of Ege University and he became founder-director of the Institute.
Beyond his own studies on Turkish epics and folk-tales, he also supervised master and PhD thesis. He is a member of “Professional Society of Science and Literature Works Owner”, “Institute of Researching Turkish Culture” and “Science Board of Turkish Language Society” in Turkey.
Abroad he is a permanent member of PIAC (Permanent International Altaistic Conference) in USA, "Turkish Studies Association" in Canada and USA, ESCAS (European Seminar on Central Asian Studies) in France.
He attended various national and international congress and conferences and his articles were published in foreign languages (French, Russian). In University of Venice/Italy his book “Aşık Garip”(1974) was summarized and published in Italian.
He worked as head of editorial board of “Language and Literature Journal of Turkish World” published by Turkish Language Society and he also published “Journal of Turkish World Studies” in Institution of Turkish World/ Ege University.
In 1992 title of honorary PhD was given to Prof. Dr. Fikret Türkmen by Azerbaijan State University.
In 1995 Prof. Dr. Fikret Türkmen was awarded with “Manas-1000” sign by Presidency of Kyrgyzstan for his studies and publications on Manas Epic.
In 1996 the biggest award of Turkmenistan “International Mahdumkulu Reward” was given to Prof. Dr. Fikret Türkmen by President of Turkmenistan in a state ceremony.
In 1997 Academy of Science in Kyrgyzstan gave him the title of “Academic”.
In 1998 University of Çüy in Kyrgyzstan gave the title of honorary Professor to Türkmen. .
In 1999 Academy of Science in Kazakhstan gave the title of “Academic” and selected Prof. Türkmen as a member of Academy of Science in Kazakhstan.
Prof. Dr. Fikret Türkmen is also a founder member and member of executive board of “International Institution of Worldwide Epics” which was founded by support of UNESCO in Bishkek/Kyrgyzstan.
In 1999 Prof. Dr. Fikret Türkmen was awarded by “Service Award to Turkish World” by TÜRKSAV for his successful works on Turkish World.
Prof. Turkmen has retired in 2012, however, he has still continued to contribute to the field of Turkish folklore. He is married and has two kids.
So far he has written 21 books and more than a hundred articles.
Prof. Zeki KAYMAZ
Prof. Kaymaz was born in Ankara in 1957. He completed his primary and secondary education in Ankara and afterwards he became a Bachelor student in the Department of Turkish Language at the Faculty of Language, History and Geography in Ankara University in 1974. Prof. Kaymaz took his bachelor degree in 1978 and master degree in 1981 at this faculty. He worked in Ankara Social Insurance Institution in 1980-82. From 1982 to 1984 he worked as a literature teacher in Batman.
In 1984 his academic career started as a research assistant in the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at the Faculty of Education in İnonü University. He started his Ph.D. education here and he graduated in 1989. At the end of 1989 he was appointed as Assistant Professor to the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at the Faculty of Education in İnonü University.
In 1992 he went to Morocco to work as a Turkish lecturer at the Faculty of Human Sciences and Literature in Rabat Muhammed V University for 2 years. In 1994 he went back to İnönü University. Prof. Kaymaz became an Associate Professor in 1997. In 1998 he started his work in the Institution of Turkish World at Ege University. He was appointed as a Full-Professor to the Department of Turkish Languages and Dialects there in 2003. Since then he has continued his studies in the same Institution.
Prof. Kaymaz knows German and Arabic and French (intermediate level). He is married and father of two children.
Prof. Dr. Metin EKİCİ
Prof. Dr. Metin EKİCİ was born in 1963 in Çal, Denizli, Turkey.
In 1980, he registered to the department of Turkish Language and Literature/Faculty of Science and Literature at Atatürk University, Erzurum and he graduated in 1984.
Afterwards in 1985 he started to work as Turkish Language Lecturer at Ege University. In 1986 he became a research assistant in the department of Turkish Language and Literature /Faculty of Literature at Ege University.
In 1989 he completed his M.A in the Institute of Social Sciences /Department of Folklore at Dokuz Eylül University by submitting his thesis titled “Folk Tales Formed under the Influence of Dede Korkut”.
In the same year he became a PhD candidate in the Institute of Social Sciences/ Department of Folklore at Ege University. After completing courses and passing efficiency exam, he started to work on his PhD thesis. Working on his thesis, he was entrusted by the Ege University Faculty of Literature in accordance with the Law no 2547 Article 33 and was sent to University of Wisconsin/Madison at USA in 1991.
In 1996 Prof. Ekici earned Ph.D with the dissertation titled “The Anatolian Cycle of Köroğlu Stories” supervised by Prof. Dr. Sarah M. G. Atış. In the same year he went back to his work at Ege University.
In 1997, Prof. Ekici appointed as an “Assistant Professor” to the Turkish Folklore Program of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature, in Faculty of Literature at Ege University.
In 1998 he passed the exam and became an associate professor. In the beginning of 1999 he went to USA upon the invitation of Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative in Texas Tech University and studied there for 8 months.
In 1999, Prof. Dr. Ekici was appointed as an “Associate Professor” to The Department of Turkish Folklore in The Institute of Turkish World Studies at Ege University, Izmir.
In 2004, Prof. Dr. Ekici was appointed as a “Full-Professor” to The Department of Turkish Folklore in The Institute of Turkish World Studies at Ege University, Izmir. Since then, he has been working at the same position. Since 2008, Prof. Dr. Ekici, has been serving as a “Vice-chair” of The Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee in UNESCO Turkish National Commission. Since 2012, Prof. Dr. Ekici has been serving as “the Chairperson” of the Department of Turkish Folklore in The Institute of Turkish World Studies. Between 2014-2018 Prof. Dr. Ekici served as “the Director” for The Institute of Turkish World Studies at Ege University. Besides he has been member of institutions such as “Turkish Studies Association”, “American Folklore Society”, “Middle East Studies Association”, which have organized scientific researches on Turkish culture and folklore in general terms.
Prof. Ekici participate international congresses and conferences and represents papers in Turkish and English on Turkish Folklore, Turkish Folk Literature, Turkish Literature and Turkish Culture. Besides he joined to numerous field works about Turkish culture and folklore and afterwards he prepared scientific classifications and the archive records of the studies. He worked on the very important projects on Turkish Folklore with Prof. Dr. Fikret Türkmen such as “Project of Collecting and Analyzing Oral and Written Cultural Products in Aegean Region” and “Project of the Detection of Turkish Epics, Their Transferring to Turkey Turkish and Their Dissemination”. He is married to Handan Ekici and father of Alper.
