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A CRITIQUE OF THE HISTORIES OF EUROPEAN and OTTOMAN STATES: FROM “MODERNIZATION REVISIONISM” and “STATE TRADITION” TOWARDS AN ALTERNATIVE READING A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIERSITY BY A. SEVEN HASDEMİR IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINSTRATION AUGUST 2011 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences ____________________ Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. ____________________ Prof. Dr. Raşit Kaya Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science ____________________ Asst. Prof. Dr. E. Attila Aytekin Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Galip Yalman (METU, ADM) ____________________ Asst. Prof. Dr. E. Attila Aytekin (METU, ADM) ____________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur (METU, HIST) ____________________ PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Last Name, Name: Hasdemir, A. Seven Signature: iii ABSTRACT A Critique of the Histories of European and Ottoman States: “From Modernization Revisionism” and “State Tradition” Towards an Alternative Reading Hasdemir, Ayten Seven M. A. Program in Political Science and Public Adminstration Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. E. Attila AYTEKİN August 2011, 115 pages In this thesis two “western modern state” and three Ottoman “state tradition” scholars (Gianfranco Poggi, Christopher Pierson, Şerif Mardin, Metin Heper and Çağlar Keyder) are elaborated in the way how they write the the history for their theorization attempts. The specially emphasized processes in these histories are asserted to be reconstructed as the sources of an “idealized”-type that is assumed to be fulfilled by “the West” and should also be followed by “the rest”. The description of this form of a state entails a covert expectation on the requirement of an effective, limited but primarily strong state. Since the mainstream historical knowledge builds the foundations of both our academic studies and daily political arguments, it should be subjected to a critique. And state theory should be rethought with comparative and alternative perspectives. This work does not only trace the histories of political development constituted on “modernization revisionist” and “state traditional” theses, it also aims to cast new perspectives for the theorization of state-formation momentums and mechanisms by making a potpourri from some alternative readings of historical theses. As a result some central debates are brought into the picture on the historical transformation of state-society relationships. Along with the attempts for more comprehensive thinking exersizes on the states, theorization does not deal with two separate states or separate narratives of the the history but rather with the experiences thought together and watched through the different forms they takes in each particular historical momentums. Keywords: The history of Modern State, Modernization Revisionism, State Tradition, Ottoman Political Development, Theories of State-Formation iv ÖZ Avrupa ve Osmanlı Devletlerinin Tarihlerinin Bir Eleştrisi: “Modernleşmeci Revizyonizm” ve “Devlet Geleneği”nden Alternatif Bir Okumaya Doğru Hasdemir, Ayten Seven. Yüksek Lisans, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Attila Aytekin Ağustos, 2011, 115 sayfa Bu tezde ikisi batılı “modern devlet” üçü Osmanlı “devlet geleneği” teorisyeninin (Gianfranco Poggi, Christopher Pierson, Şerif Mardin, Metin Heper and Çağlar Keyder) tarihselliği teorik çabaları adına ele alış biçimlerinde aranmaya çalışılıyor. Bu tarih metinlerinde özellikle vurgulanan süreçlerin, günümüzde Batı’ca sahip olduğu iddia edilen ve dünyanın geri kalanınca da takip edilmesi beklenen bir “ideal”-tip formun kökeni olarak inşa edildiği iddia ediliyor. Bu devlet formunun tanımlanışı; etkin, sınırlanmış (veya olması gerektiği halde yeterince sınırlanamaz görülen) ama aslen güçlü bir devletin gerekliliğine dair gizil bir beklentiyi de içinde barındırıyor. Bu sebepten akademik çabalarımıza ve gündelik politik argümanlarımıza kaynaklık eden ve kısmen tahrif alanı haline getirilmiş olan ana akım tarihsel bilgilerimizi gözden geçirmek, devlet teorisini de karşılaştırmalı ve alternatif bakışlarla yeniden düşünmek gereği ile karşı karşıyayız. Bu çalışma “modernleşmeci revizyonist” ve “devlet gelenekçi” tezler üzerinden inşa edilen siyasal gelişim tarihçelerinin izini sürmekle kalmıyor, devlet oluşum izleklerini kuramsallaştırmak adına yeni perspektifler sunmak için görece geç dönem tarih metinlerinden Batılı ve Osmanlı alternatif okumaları barındıran bazı tezlerin bir araya getirildiği bir potpori de ortaya koyuyor. Sonuç olarak devlet-toplum ilişkilerinin tarihsel dönüşümlerine dair bazı temel tartışmalar yapılıyor. Kuramsallaştırma çabası da iki ayrı devlet ve iki ayrı tarih anlatısı görünümünden çıkarılmaya çalışılarak bir arada düşünülen ve farklı tarihsel uğraklarda farklı biçimler kazanan bir devlet düşüncesine doğru daha bütünlüklü bir düşünme egzersizi haline geliyor. Anahtar kelimeler: Modern Devlet Tarihi, Siyasal Gelişme, Modernleşmeci Revizyonizm, Devlet Geleneği, Devlet(-oluşumu) Teorileri v DEDICATION To my grannies: Mahmut Nurettin Hasdemir and Ruhsar Demirel vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Asst. Prof. Dr. Attila Aytekin. He always maintained a free atmosphere for thinking and designing my work; but also made critical warnings and showed possible ways out, whenever needed. He did not only read my writings and sketches in detail, he also listened everything came about my theoretical traps from my messy mind. I will not forget what a relief I had after our periodical meetings, with which he made simple corrections in my troubled thoughts and gave some reading advice that enabled me to make new openings through some most central debates in my areas of interests. Asst. Prof. Galip Yalman has made available his support in a number of ways, especially in the ways of investigation about the central thesis. His insistence on the same advice each time had worked me up into finding better formulations to respond possible questions. His and Necmi Erdoğan’s lectures gave me new horizons about the problems of state theory in Turkey, thus I am thankful to them in many ways. It is an honor for me to name here my bachelor thesis supervisor Asst. Prof. Dr. Boğaç Erozan as my academic mentor, who really tried to “give me a hand” in both senses: firstly in terms of a master- apprentice relationship; secondly for his advisory aid while shaping my last chapter. His voice can be heard between many lines, even in those he did not directly shared his thoughts about. I am really indebted to Çiğdem Usta, Mühtan Sağlam, Seher Sağıroğlu and Hatice Kapusuz, especially because they hosted me in Ankara as I was shuttling between İstanbul and here and had been best possible friends ever. Not to forget Öykü & Soner Cubukcus, Semih Sapmaz, Müslüm Kavut, Rafet Uçkan, İdil Sarfati and Tuğba Öztürk for opening minds and giving hope all the time. METU, particularly SBKY is an oasis in the deserting academic spheres, worldwide. Each time I visited the place for my thesis, the friends, other students and professors I met in the canteens became wonderful sources for discussion and self-improvement each time. I am so grateful to them as well. vii Of course this thesis would not have been possible if my parents would not have behaved so perfectly. They never hesitated to support me both financially and psychologically all way long. They never asked “when this will end” or questioned “if I can manage it”; though I have done it for millions of times. I cannot forget how they fell upon me in the last weeks, for which I am heartily greateful. With the world’s noisiest and most lively relatives, they are the biggest luck I have in this fatal life! I owe special thanks to my aunties, “eni”s and uncle: Gülşen, Tayyar, Melda, İnan, Bülent and Meral; since they always believed that I will manage to be a good academician at the end of the day. With this thesis my life has been postponed for a long time and this seemed as if it will never end. Thus I am thankful for the patience of some best friends and their immediate aids whenever I needed: Özge, Anıl, Berke, Cantuğ, Eyüp, Mert, Seda, Evrim, Alihan and Emirhan. I owe the most for my dearest Hakan, who had lived with me in an emergency situation for months, helped me in everything at each point and was there for me all the time… All the mistakes and problems belong to me eventually, as to be expected. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................ v DEDICATION ...........................................................................................................