DOCSLIB.ORG

Greek Ottomans in the 1908 Parliament

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Greek Ottomans in the 1908 Parliament CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Sabanci University Research Database GREEK OTTOMANS IN THE 1908 PARLIAMENT by U¾UR PEÇE Submitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts SabancÛ University Summer 2007 GREEK OTTOMANS IN THE 1908 PARLIAMENT U₣ur Peçe SabancÛ University APPROVED BY: Asst. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Akİin Somel ………………………….. (Thesis Supervisor) Asst. Prof. Dr. Vangelis Kechriotis ………………………….. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ğzak Atiyas ………………………….. DATE OF APPROVAL: ……………….30 July 2007…………………… ii © U₣ur Peçe, 2007 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT GREEK OTTOMANS IN THE 1908 PARLIAMENT U₣ur Peçe History, MA Thesis, 2007 Thesis Supervisor: Selçuk Akİin Somel Keywords: Second Constitutional Period, Greek Ottoman deputies, Committee of Union and Progress, Ottomanism, dominant nation This thesis is an attempt to question some common assumptions on the idea of Ottomanism and development of Turkish nationalism. This is done through an examination of the case of the Greek Ottoman deputies in the 1908 Parliament (1908- 1912). Benefiting from the relatively liberal atmosphere of the time, Greeks and Turks engaged in revealing discussions both in the Chamber of Deputies and the press. The primary aim of this thesis is to arrive at a general understanding of the period by following these discussions. Different ways the principle of Ottomanism was interpreted by different groups will be especially illuminating for the purposes of this study. Debates taking place in the Chamber of Deputies which concerned the Greek Ottoman community will be analyzed along with their reflections in the Turkish-Ottoman and Greek-Ottoman press. This study is not a study of political history narrating the relevant developments in the period, but rather a study that prioritizes a narration of a fierce struggle made through words. The overall result of this evaluation will necessitate a reconsideration of generally accepted hypotheses about the Second Constitutional Period, specifically about the Ottomanist ideology and the stance of the Greek Ottomans on it. iv ÖZET OSMANLI‘NIN RUM MEBUSLARI (1908-1912) U₣ur Peçe Tarih, Master Tezi, 2007 Tez DanÛİmanÛ: Selçuk Akİin Somel Anahtar Kelimeler: Ğkinci Meİrutiyet Dönemi, Rum mebuslar, Ğttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti, OsmanlÛlÛk, millet-i hakime Bu tez OsmanlÛlÛk düİüncesi ve Türk milliyetçili₣inin geliİimi meseleleri hakkÛndaki genel geçer varsayÛmlarÛ sorgulama u₣runda bir denemedir. Bunu yaparken, 1908 Meclis-i Mebusan‘Ûna (1908-1912) seçilen Rum mebuslarÛn örne₣inden hareket edece₣iz. Dönemin görece özgürlükçü ortamÛndan faydalanan Rumlar ve Türkler, gerek Meclis-i Mebusan‘da gerekse de basÛnda oldukça çarpÛcÛ tartÛİmalarÛn içerisine girdiler. Bu tezin öncelikli amacÛ, söz konusu tartÛİmalardan yola çÛkarak dönemle ilgili genel bir fikre varmaktÛr. OsmanlÛlÛk prensibinin de₣iİik gruplarca farklÛ yorumlanma biçimleri, bu çalÛİmanÛn amacÛ düİünüldü₣ünde, bize oldukça yol gösterici olacak. Meclis-i Mebusan‘da cereyan eden ve Rum toplumunu ilgilendiren tartÛİmalar, Türkçe ve Rumca basÛndaki yansÛmalarÛyla de₣erlendirilecek. Bu çalÛİma, dönemin siyasi geliİmelerinin incelemesini temel almaktansa, kelimeler üzerinden yapÛlan çetin bir mücadelenin anlatÛsÛnÛ sunmayÛ hedeflemektedir. Bu de₣erlendirmeden çÛkacak ana sonuç ise Ğkinci Meİrutiyet Dönemi ile ilgili genel kabul gören hipotezlerin, özellikle de OsmanlÛlÛk ideolojisi ve RumlarÛn bu ideoloji karİÛsÛndaki duruİlarÛna iliİkin olanlarÛn, tekrar gözden geçirilmesini gerekli kÛlacaktÛr. v ... Aİka... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to start by expressing my thanks to my thesis advisor Selçuk Akİin Somel who has supported me not only in writing this thesis but also during my studies at SabancÛ University. Vangelis Kechriotis made valuable comments in my defense and in doing so kindled new questions on my mind. I also thank Ğzak Atiyas for his soothing presence in my jury. At a more personal level I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family who has emotionally supported me during all those difficult times. My mother Mahinur, my father Ğlyas and my siblings Meryem, ğeyma and Yusuf: all has contributed something precious to my personality. I was surrounded with some dear friends during my long stay in Athens. I am sorry that I had to say —no“ many times when Katerina invited me out to the —fast“ Greek life and I did not speak to Kostas in Turkish enough. For my Athens months my ineffable gratitude goes to Fokion and his family: Basso, Kitsa and little ones Dimitris, Yorgos and Konstantinos. I feel grateful as they made Athens a home away from home. And, I will never forget Nikolas and our bohemian neighborhood of Eksarheia. Though she was not with me in Athens, same blue waters flowing between Athens and Istanbul made Evrim‘s presence felt in my heart. She reminded me of love‘s dual nature: affectionate and challanging like the history that I will narrate in the future. I would like to finish these personals thanks at the most personal level by thanking U₣ur who has always thought that it was worth carrying on: both love and ideals. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 ON THE WAY TO THE PARLIAMENT OF 1908 .................................................. 10 1.1. The Beginnings of the Road in the Nineteenth Century ............................ 11 1.2. The CUP and the question of —dominant nation“ ...................................... 16 1.3. The Elections in 1908 .................................................................................... 22 1.3.1. The Society of Constantinople ............................................................. 26 1.3.2. The Greeks‘ grievances ........................................................................ 29 1.4. After the Elections ........................................................................................ 36 1.5. Concluding Remarks .................................................................................... 39 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT: MAIN ISSUES OF DISCORD ............................... 42 2.1. The Cretan Question ......................................................................................... 43 2.2. Participation in the Administration of the State ............................................. 49 2.3. The Question of —Privileges“ of the Greek Millet ........................................... 55 2.4. Concluding Remarks ......................................................................................... 65 MULTI-RELIGIOUS ARMY OF THE OTTOMANS ............................................. 68 3.1. Non-Muslim Soldiers before 1909: Early Examples and the Nineteenth Century ...................................................................................................................... 69 3.2. The Issue of Universal Conscription after the July Revolution: Initial Reflections .................................................................................................................. 74 3.3. The Issue Brought to the Parliamentary Agenda ........................................... 76 3.3.1. The bedel-i askeri tax .................................................................................. 77 3.3.2. Religion and conscription ........................................................................... 82 3.3.3. Some responses: letters and speeches ........................................................ 86 3.3.4. The length of military service .................................................................... 90 3.3.5. Conscription and migration ....................................................................... 93 3.3.6. Conscription and education ....................................................................... 96 3.4. Concluding Remarks ......................................................................................... 98 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 104 viii INTRODUCTION The July Revolution of 1908 brought many hopes for different groups in the Ottoman Empire. After an autocratic rule which lasted three decades during which a strong web of spies and draconian censure on the press prevented the carrying out of open opposition movements against the regime, the hour of freedom finally came from the mountains of Macedonia. Or, people thought it came. The Tanzimat reforms that took the first steps in establishing representative institutions and paved the way for their consequent blossoming with the advent of the parliamentary system, and the influential opposition movement of the Young Ottomans starting in the 1860s set up the background to the Young Turks‘ movement. The day 23 July 1908 (10 July 1324 in the old calendar) marked a new beginning for the peoples of the Ottoman Empire. Under the leadership of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), the Young Turks became the most powerful partners in the administration of the Ottoman Empire. As evident in Babanzade Ğsmail HakkÛ‘s words, one of the notable figures within the CUP and deputy for Baghdad, for the Ottomans and the Orient 10 July meant what 14 July did for the Western World: —10 July is like 14 July for us…14 July signified an awakening and progress for the West. 10 July marks the beginning of our salvation“ ( 10 Temmuz bizim 14 Temmuz‘umuzdur…14 Temmuz Garp için bir sahife-i intibah ve terakki
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ioannis S. Chalkos the 1912 Ottoman Elections and the Greeks in the Vilayet of Adrianople
    Ioannis S. Chalkos The 1912 Ottoman elections and the Greeks in the Vilayet of Adrianople: A view from the Greek Archives. The Young Turk governments of the Ottoman Empire (1908-18) are widely considered as a part of the latter’s modernization process.1 The reforms, which had been initiated in the midst of the 19th century, were aiming at the homogenization of the society under the principle of Ottomanism. This was an effort of the Otto- man administrations to attract the loyalty of all their subjects to a new “Ottoman Nation” so as to block the centrifugal tendencies threatening the very existence of the empire.2 However, there was an inherent dualism in this concept of egalitarian- ism promoted through the reforms: the millet system, the old classification of the Ottoman subjects in semi-autonomous religious communities governed by their own law, was preserved and gradually secularized resulting in the stimulation of the separatist nationalist movements.3 Regarding the Greek-Orthodox communi- ties, the Bulgarian ecclesiastical schism of 1870 and the resulting Greco-Bulgarian dispute over Macedonia had strengthened the Greek character of the millet (Rum millet) while the Greek Kingdom was gaining increasing control over its in- stitutions.4 Still the road to an open rift between the Greeks and their Ottoman context was a long one. Developments were shaped and evolved in a changing social and polit- ical landscape which was dominated by continuity rather than specific turning points. The examination of the 1912 Ottoman elections presents an excellent op- portunity for the exploration of this landscape.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Anglo-Turkish Relations Volume 2 Number 2 June 2021
    Journal of Anglo-Turkish Relations Volume 2 Number 2 June 2021 Winrow, Gareth.1 Whispers across Continents: In Search of the Robinsons, (Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing, 2019). 288pp. ISBN-13: 978-1445691398. Çiğdem Balım2 Whispers across Continents is the story of a family spread over England, India, Ottoman Empire, Germany and the United States, and the period covered is from the 19th century to early 20th. It starts with Spencer Robinson (1838-1889), who was a tenant farmer from East Keal in Lincolnshire. He migrated to India to become a tea farmer and also worked on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. After the death of his first wife, in 1880 he married Hannah Rodda (1854-1948), who was raised in the slums of London’s East End. Their son Ahmet (Peel Harold) Robinson (1889-1965) or Ahmet ‘Robenson’ was born in Bengal, lived in the Ottoman Empire and died in New York. He was one of the first goalkeepers for the Galatasaray football team, and he is also known as the person who introduced scouting and basketball to the Ottoman Empire. The German connection of the story is through Gertrude Eisenman, an ‘illegitimate ’daughter of Hannah before she met Spencer. Later Gertrude became a cult figure in Germany as a racing motor-cyclist and a car rally driver in late Wilhelmine Germany. Hannah plays the central role in the family history. Apparently very little was known about her real life, and what was known was misrepresented or distorted. For example, her son Ahmed claimed that she had some aristocratic connection, which could not be further from the truth.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries: Naval Commanders Report and Protest Death Marches and Massacres in Turkey’S Pontus Region, 1921–1922
    Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal Volume 14 Issue 2 Denial Article 14 9-4-2020 Book Review: The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries: Naval Commanders Report and Protest Death Marches and Massacres in Turkey’s Pontus Region, 1921–1922 Thomas Blake Earle Texas A&M University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/gsp Recommended Citation Earle, Thomas Blake (2020) "Book Review: The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries: Naval Commanders Report and Protest Death Marches and Massacres in Turkey’s Pontus Region, 1921–1922," Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal: Vol. 14: Iss. 2: 179-181. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.14.2.1778 Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/gsp/vol14/iss2/14 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Access Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Book Review: The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries: Naval Commanders Report and Protest Death Marches and Massacres in Turkey’s Pontus Region, 1921–1922 Thomas Blake Earle Texas A&M University Galveston, Texas, USA The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries: Naval Commanders Report and Protest Death Marches and Massacres in Turkey’s Pontus Region, 1921–1922 Robert Shenk and Sam Koktzoglou, editors New Orleans, University of New Orleans Press, 2020 404 Pages; Price: $24.95 Paperback Reviewed by Thomas Blake Earle Texas A&M University at Galveston Coming on the heels of the more well-known Armenian Genocide, the ethnic cleansing of Ottoman Greeks in the Pontus region of Asia Minor in 1921 and 1922 has received comparatively less attention.
    [Show full text]
  • Studies in Honour of Éva Kincses-Nagy
    ALTAIC AND CHAGATAY LECTURES Studies in Honour of Éva Kincses-Nagy Altaic and Chagatay Lectures Studies in Honour of Éva Kincses-Nagy Edited by István Zimonyi Szeged – 2021 This publication was supported by the ELTE-SZTE Silk Road Research Group, ELKH Cover illustration: Everyone acts according to his own disposition (Q 17,84, written in nasta’liq) Calligraphy of Mustafa Khudair Letters and Words. Exhibtion of Arabic Calligraphy. Cairo 2011, 35. © University of Szeged, Department of Altaic Studies, Printed in 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the author or the publisher. Printed by: Innovariant Ltd., H-6750 Algyő, Ipartelep 4. ISBN: 978 963 306 793 2 (printed) ISBN: 978 963 306 794 9 (pdf) Contents Preface ................................................................................................................. 11 ŞÜKRÜ HALÛK AKALIN On the Etymology and Word Formation of Arıbeyi ‘Queen Bee’: How did the Female Bee Become Bey ‘Male Ruler’ in Turkish? ....................... 15 KUTSE ALTIN The Reconstruction of the Motives and Activities of the Last Campaign of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman ........................................................ 21 TATIANA A. ANIKEEVA The Tale of the Epic Cycle of “Kitab-i Dedem Korkut” in Turkish Folklore of the 20th Century ................................................................... 43 İBRAHIM AHMET AYDEMIR Zur Typologie von „Small Clauses” in modernen Türksprachen ........................ 51 LÁSZLÓ BALOGH Notes on the Ethnic and Political Conditions of the Carpathian Basin in the Early 9th Century ........................................................... 61 JÚLIA BARTHA Turkish Heritage of Hungarian Dietary Culture .................................................. 71 BÜLENT BAYRAM An Epic about Attila in Chuvash Literature: Attilpa Krimkilte .........................
    [Show full text]
  • Reconsidering the Annexation of the Sanjak of the Alexandretta Through Local Narratives
    RECONSIDERING THE ANNEXATION OF THE SANJAK OF THE ALEXANDRETTA THROUGH LOCAL NARRATIVES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY SITKIYE MATKAP IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES DECEMBER 2009 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata 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 That 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 Assist. Prof. Dr. Nesim Şeker Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assist. Prof. Dr. Nesim Şeker (METU, HIST) Assist. Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoğan (METU, ADM) Assist. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şen (METU, SOC) 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. Name, Last name: SITKIYE MATKAP Signature : iii ABSTRACT RECONSIDERING THE ANNEXATION OF THE SANJAK OF THE ALEXANDRETTA THROUGH LOCAL NARRATIVES Matkap, Sıtkıye M.Sc., Department of Media and Cultural Studies Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Nesim Şeker December 2009, 154 pages The main aim of this thesis is to examine the history of Sanjak of Alexandretta in the Turkish nationalist historiography.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Turks and Europe by Gaston Gaillard London: Thomas Murby & Co
    THE TURKS AND EUROPE BY GASTON GAILLARD LONDON: THOMAS MURBY & CO. 1 FLEET LANE, E.C. 1921 1 vi CONTENTS PAGES VI. THE TREATY WITH TURKEY: Mustafa Kemal’s Protest—Protests of Ahmed Riza and Galib Kemaly— Protest of the Indian Caliphate Delegation—Survey of the Treaty—The Turkish Press and the Treaty—Jafar Tayar at Adrianople—Operations of the Government Forces against the Nationalists—French Armistice in Cilicia—Mustafa Kemal’s Operations—Greek Operations in Asia Minor— The Ottoman Delegation’s Observations at the Peace Conference—The Allies’ Answer—Greek Operations in Thrace—The Ottoman Government decides to sign the Treaty—Italo-Greek Incident, and Protests of Armenia, Yugo-Slavia, and King Hussein—Signature of the Treaty – 169—271 VII. THE DISMEMBERMENT OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE: 1. The Turco-Armenian Question - 274—304 2. The Pan-Turanian and Pan-Arabian Movements: Origin of Pan-Turanism—The Turks and the Arabs—The Hejaz—The Emir Feisal—The Question of Syria—French Operations in Syria— Restoration of Greater Lebanon—The Arabian World and the Caliphate—The Part played by Islam - 304—356 VIII. THE MOSLEMS OF THE FORMER RUSSIAN EMPIRE AND TURKEY: The Republic of Northern Caucasus—Georgia and Azerbaïjan—The Bolshevists in the Republics of Caucasus and of the Transcaspian Isthmus—Armenians and Moslems - 357—369 IX. TURKEY AND THE SLAVS: Slavs versus Turks—Constantinople and Russia - 370—408 2 THE TURKS AND EUROPE I THE TURKS The peoples who speak the various Turkish dialects and who bear the generic name of Turcomans, or Turco-Tatars, are distributed over huge territories occupying nearly half of Asia and an important part of Eastern Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • 15 Müntehabat-I Teracim-I Meşahir
    İ.Ü. Çeviribilim Dergisi, Sayı: 6 (2-2012) s. 15-43 I.U. Journal of Translation Studies, Issue: 6 (2-2012) p. 15-43 15 MÜNTEHABAT-I TERACIM-I MEŞAHIR: AN EXPLORATION OF ITS PARATEXT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL MEMORY Cemal DEMİRCİOĞLU* Abstract This paper will briefly look at one of the key works that has not been studied formerly from the late Ottoman tradition of translation: Müntehabat-ı Teracim-i Meşahir (The Collection of Famous Translations), edited by İbrahim Fehim and İsmail Hakkı, and published in 1889/90. This work appears as the second collection of translations from the west approximately thirty years after Ibrahim Şinasi’s Terceme-i Manzume (Translation of Verse), which was the first collection of Turkish translations of Western poetry in 1859. This paper does not only bring to the fore an Ottoman work that remained in the margin, introducing it to scholarly circles with a special focus on the paratextual data. It also intends to draw attention to translation history in the Turkish context, as a powerful way to recover the hidden or erased past of translation, especially when looked at from the perspective of forgetting and remembering in the course of the Turkish transition from empire to nation-state. Key Words: Ottoman translation history, translation archaeology, cultural memory, forgetting and remembering, Müntehabat-ı Teracim-i Meşahir [The Collection of Famous Translations] Özet Bu makale, Osmanlı çeviri geleneğine ait daha önce hiç çalışılmamış önemli eserlerden birini kısaca ele almaktadır: Müntehabat-ı Teracim-i Meşahir (Meşhur Tercümeler Seçkisi). İbrahim Fehim and İsmail Hakkı tara- fından hazırlanan ve 1889/90 yılında yayımlanan bu eser, İbrahim Şinasi’nin Batı şiirinden Türkçeye yapılan ilk çevirilerini içeren seçkisi Tercüme-i Manzume’den yaklaşık otuz yıl sonra Batı’dan yapılan çevirileri içeren ikinci çeviri seçkisi olarak yayımlanmıştır.
    [Show full text]
  • The Place of the Young Turk Revolution in Turkish History
    THE PLACE OF THE YOUNG TURK REVOLUTION IN TURKISH HISTORY. Prof. Dr. sı.. AKŞİN •• i. Introduciioa J'be Turu in History: The Turks of Turkeyarepan of the Tuılcic.pcoples who. back in history. were once concentrated in Central Asia. Central Asia can be roughly described as the region to the north and the north-west nf the China Wall. The China Wall was built to koopthe namadie peoples -ineloding the Tuikic peoples- out of China. The Wall also roughly corresponded to the frontler of feıtile iand wbere agriculture could be practised. In Centtal Asia the tand was generally not suitable for qriculıure. but could sustain the animal hents of the nomads. The fmt "state" of the Turlcicpeoples was the Empiıe of the Hmıs. for which the apprOximate dates 220 BC-216 AD are given. But whether or not this formatian can be considered a state or empire in the proper sense of the word is not clear. because the Hmıs did not use the written word. Probably this fonnatian was a coofederation of tribes. raiher' than a state. The same can probobly he said for the Göktürks (552-745). though at the end of their primacy they hegan to use writing. The third important poIitical formation of the Turkic peoples was the Uygur State (745-940). By the end of the 8th century. two important developments took place among the Turkic peoples. 1) A great number of them hegan to move west, Lo Transoxania and contiguous regions and 2) they began to . adopt Islam. It seems that the proces of Islamization was a rather loog.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Relations Between the Greeks and the Young Turks
    A. J. P AN AYOTOPO ULOS EARLY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE GREEKS AND THE YOUNG TURKS This paper deals with the relations of the Greeks and the Young Turks before the July revolution in 1908. My intention is to indicate that the Young Turks had undertaken the initiative to contact the Ottoman Greeks and the representatives of the Greek Kingdom and ask their cooperation for the establishment of the constitutional regime; however, the Greeks responded with considerable cautiousness. The Sultan’s men also made an attempt to associate themselves with the Greeks in order to get information about the Young Turks, but the Greeks were equally reserved towards them. There are three points, which I would like to suggest: First, the Young Turks tried to establish relations with the Greeks, second, the Greeks were hesitant to accept the Young Turks’ proposals, and third, the July revolution did not take the Greeks by surprise, which means that they should have adopt­ ed A concrete policy towards the new regime. Most of the information on which this paper is based on is from primary sources, i.e. Greek consular reports kept with the Historical Archive of the Greek Foreign Ministry. The Young Turkish Committees which were active in Paris, had establish­ ed certain relations with the Greeks as early as February 1902, when they held A Congress in the French capital. More than forty delegates arrived in Paris to participate at the Congress1, despite the protests of the Ottoman Ambassador in Paris Munir bey. Prince Sabaheddin, defending the cause of the conference as well as the participants, wrote to the French Foreign Minister Delcassé that those who defied the Sultan’s power and bribes2, would not be frightened by any “procédé d’in­ timidation puérile”3.
    [Show full text]
  • Neo-Ottomanism and TURKEY on PERSPECTIVES NEW Ottomania: Navigating State-Led and Popular Cultural Representations of the Past
    33 Between neo-Ottomanism and NEW PERSPECTIVES ON TURKEY Ottomania: navigating state-led and popular cultural representations of the past Murat Ergin and Yağmur Karakaya Abstract In contemporary Turkey, a growing interest in Ottoman history represents a change in both the official state discourse and popular culture. This nostalgia appropriates, reinterprets, decontextualizes, and juxtaposes formerly distinct symbols, ideas, objects, and histories in unprecedented ways. In this paper, we distinguish between state-led neo-Ottomanism and popular cultural Ottomania, focusing on the ways in which people in Turkey are interpellated by these two different yet interrelated discourses, depending on their social positions. As the boundary between highbrow and popular culture erodes, popular cultural representations come to reinterpret and rehabilitate the Ottoman past while also inventing new insecurities centering on historical “truth.” Utilizing in-depth interviews, we show that individuals juxtapose the popular television series Muhteşem Yüzyıl (The Magnificent Century) with what they deem “proper” history, in the process rendering popular culture a “false” version. We also identify four particular interpretive clusters among the consumers of Ottomania: for some, the Ottoman Empire was the epitome of tolerance, where different groups lived peacefully; for others, the imperial past represents Turkish and/or Islamic identities; and finally, critics see the empire as a burden on contemporary Turkey. Keywords: Ottomania; neo-Ottomanism; popular culture; modernity; history; The Magnificent Century Murat Ergin, Koç University, Department of Sociology, Rumeli Feneri Yolu 34450, Sarıyer, İstanbul, Turkey, [email protected]. Yağmur Karakaya, University of Minnesota, Department of Sociology, 267 19th Ave. S #909, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA, [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • ALI KEMAL and the SABAH / PEYAM-I SABAH NEWSPAPER By
    LIBERAL CRITICISM TOWARD THE UNIONIST POLICIES DURING THE GREAT WAR: ALI KEMAL AND THE SABAH / PEYAM-I SABAH NEWSPAPER by ONUR ÇAKMUR Submitted to the Institute of Social Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Sabancı University July 2018 © Onur Çakmur 2018 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT LIBERAL CRITICISM TOWARD THE UNIONIST POLICIES DURING THE GREAT WAR: ALİ KEMAL AND THE SABAH / PEYAM-I SABAH NEWSPAPER ONUR ÇAKMUR Master of Arts in Turkish Studies, July 2018 Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Selçuk Akşin Somel Keywords: Ali Kemal; Armistice press; First World War; Liberal opposition; Sabah newspaper The First World War that lasted from 1914 to 1918 occupies an important place in Turkish History. However, in comparison with the Turkish War of Independence, Ottoman experience of the Great War remains a relatively under-researched area. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), which ruled the Ottoman Empire during the War, constituted a dictatorship and kept the opposition under strict censorship. During the armistice period, political pressure was lifted and the press became a platform for criticism about the wartime policies of the Unionists and its consequences. Therefore, this study primarily aims to analyze Sabah (from January 1920 onwards published as Peyam-ı Sabah), a leading newspaper of the opposition, with regard to its perspective on the War during the armistice period. The emphasis of the study will be on the editor-in- chief of the paper, Ali Kemal, an iconic figure of the period, who had been very influential especially in Sabah’s analyses regarding the War and the figures who were responsible in this debacle.
    [Show full text]
  • From Anatolia to the New World Life Stories of the First Turkish Immigrants to America LİBRA KİTAP: 65 HISTORY: 54 © Libra Kitapçılık Ve Yayıncılık
    From Anatolia to the New World Life Stories of the First Turkish Immigrants to America LİBRA KİTAP: 65 HISTORY: 54 © Libra Kitapçılık ve Yayıncılık Page Layout: Merhaba Grafik Cover Design: Utku Lomlu Cover Photos: Front cover: Dr. Fuad Bey guest of Ottoman Welfare Association at a tea party given in his honour at Turkish Club in New York. Source: Fuad Mehmed [Umay], Amerika'da Türkler ve Gördüklerim, İstanbul, 1341, p.18. Back cover: Dr. Fuad Bey in New York with the officers of the assembly. Source: Fuad Mehmed [Umay], Amerika'da Türkler ve Gördüklerim, İstanbul, 1341, p.24. First edition: 2013 ISBN 978-605-4326-64-8 Printing and Binding Birlik Fotokopi Baskı Ozalit ve Büro Malzemeleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti. Nispetiye Mah. Birlik Sokak No: 2 Nevin Arıcan Plaza 34340 Levent / İstanbul Tel: (212) 269 30 00 Certificate No: 20179 Libra Kitapçılık ve Yayıncılık Ticaret A.Ş. Ebekızı Sok. Günaydın Apt. No: 9/2 Osmanbey / İstanbul Certificate No: 15705 Tel: 90- 212-232 99 04/05 Fax: 90- 212-231 11 29 E-posta: [email protected] www.librakitap.com.tr © All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the writer, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast or academic publication. Rifat N. Balİ ~ From Anatolia to the New World Life Stories of the First Turkish Immigrants to America r Translated from the Turkish by Michael McGaha Biography Rifat N.
    [Show full text]