Edibe Sözen Yavuz is an academic of sociology and communications, and politician.
Education
Edibe Sözen graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of International Relations with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. She made her Master"s degree and earned a Doctor of Philosophy title from the Faculty of Economics at Istanbul University. She completed her post-doctoral studies at University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States of America.
Career
In 1994, she became associate professor of sociology, and was appointed professor of communications in 2000 in Istanbul University. She was visiting professor at universities in Utah, Arizona, Chicago, United States of America and Cologne, Germany. She served as vice dean at Istanbul University.
Sozen published eight books about social life and communications.
In 2006, Edibe Sözen suspended her academic career, and joined the ruling social conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP). In 2008, Sözen prepared a law proposal about the protection of youth, and sent it to the minister responsible for youth and sports to be forwarded in the parliament.
lieutenant would ban entry of underaged into restaurants after 22:00 hours and youth"s visit of internet cafés, provide closure of nightclubs at midnight, establishment of a worship place in all schools and keeping record for buyers of pornographic publication. The Constitutional Court of Turkey threatened with closure of the AKP due to offending secularity, and sanctioned with cutting of financial aids by the state.
Following a harsh reaction by the party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and a decision of the party"s high commission distancing itself from her proposal, she announced that her draft does not bind the party, and she will not submit it in the parliament.
She was dropped from the candidate nomination list by the party for the 2011 general election. In the 2012 party congress, she was re-elected to the party"s central committee. In September 2013, Sözen announced her canditature in the 2014 local elections for the mayorship of Maltepe district in Istanbul Province.
Politics
She was elected vice chairperson of the party as the second female member, and appointed responsible for media and publicity.
Views
As it became public, and sparked controversy in the public, she defended herself that she was inspired by a German law and they (the AKP) bring Western standards to Turkey.