Rough transcript of ...
Rough transcript of what I said at the Nusret Fişek meeting in İstanbul (Nov.1996)
I can say that the single most important person who made me want to stay in Turkey and do Turkish demography these last 28 years was Dr.Nusret Fişek. He devoted one part of his life to encouraging, protecting, and supporting demographic and social epidemiological studies. He believed that scientifially valid information was absolutely necessary for Turkey. A few months before he passed away, he did something which was very much in his character. He suggestedto me and some others that a new up-to-date book should be written on Turkish demography. The last comprehensive book was in 1982 and it was time for a new one with more information and the latest techniques.
An opportunity to fulfill this request came to me while I was working as a Consultant to the President of the State Institute of Statistics. A small team was organized at the Institute. For two years we studied all the available demographic data and wrote a new book: "The Population of Turkey, 1923-1994: Demographic Structure and Development, with Projections to the Mid-21st Century." (Türkiye Nüfusu, 1923-1994, Demografi Yapısı ve Gelişimi: 21.Yüzyıl Ortasına Kadar Projeksiyonlar) It is an official publication, so you will not find a personal dedication to Dr.Nusret Fişek in the book. For me, personally, that work was done in his honor. It is exactly what he expects from us. And it was done in the way that he approves. Young statisticians and demographers worked together to write that book. They learned a lot and they know their business. I am sure that they will continue producing good works for a long time in the future.