The Evolution and Professionalization of Economic Thought from the Late Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic: the Case of Ibrahim Fazil Pelin
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THE EVOLUTION AND PROFESSIONALIZATION OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT FROM THE LATE OTTOMAN EMPIRE TO THE TURKISH REPUBLIC: THE CASE OF İBRAHİM FAZIL PELİN A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY BURAK ASLANMİRZA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY JUNE 2018 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin GENÇÖZ Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts Prof. Dr. Ömer TURAN 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 Arts. Asst. Prof. Dr. Şefika Akile ZORLU DURUKAN Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Murat BASKICI (ANKARA UNV., ECON) _____________ Asst. Prof. Dr. Şefika Akile ZORLU DURUKAN (METU, HIST) _____________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kayhan ORBAY (METU, HIST) _____________ ii 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 : Burak ASLANMİRZA Signature : iii ABSTRACT THE EVOLUTION AND PROFESSIONALIZATION OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT FROM THE LATE OTTOMAN EMPIRE TO THE TURKISH REPUBLIC: THE CASE OF İBRAHİM FAZIL PELİN Aslanmirza, Burak M.A., Department of History Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Şefika Akile Zorlu Durukan June 2018, 132 pages The Anglo-Ottoman Trade Convention of 1838 – usually regarded as a milestone in the Ottoman Empire’s integration process to capitalism and the liberal world – also presents a landmark for the germination of Ottoman intellectuals’ interest in European economic thought and the acceleration of intellectual discussions on the subject thanks to the rise of private press. However, the transformation of economic thought from being the object of intellectual interest to being a separate discipline, accordingly its professionalization, required nearly one more century. The aim of this study is to shed light on the evolution of economics into a scientific branch, from the late Ottoman period into the Republican era, by means of introducing the thoughts of a significant thinker, namely Dist. Prof. İbrahim Fazıl Pelin. Although historical studies on the early twentieth century often refer to his name, a systematic and detailed analysis of Pelin’s social and economic thought does not yet exist in available literature. This research fundamentally focuses on compensating for this gap and determining the place of Pelin within this process of iv evolution since he represents a significant component in the generation enabling that transition. Although existing literature acknowledged Pelin predominantly a disciple of classical economic thought, he developed his own ideas and displayed an eclectic attitude. He followed a rather moderate path that can be situated between the individual, which was the center of liberal thought, and the main foci of the German Historical School, state and society. He criticized liberal economics and the emphasis on the individual, and rigid etatism at the same time. Pelin developed a socio-economic model based on social interest, which envisaged a balance between the state and the individual. Key words: 19th and 20th centuries Intellectual History, History of Economic Thought, İbrahim Fazıl Pelin, Liberalism, Late Ottoman History v ÖZ İBRAHİM FAZIL PELİN NEZDİNDE GEÇ OSMANLI İMPARATORLUĞU’NDAN TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ’NE İKTİSADİ DÜŞÜNCENİN EVRİMİ VE PROFESYONELLEŞMESİ Aslanmirza, Burak Yüksek Lisans, Tarih Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Öğretim Görevlisi Dr. Şefika Akile Zorlu Durukan Haziran, 132 sayfa Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun kapitalizme ve liberal dünyaya uyumlanması bakımından bir dönüm noktası olarak değerlendirilen 1838 Baltalimanı Antlaşması ayrıca Osmanlı entelektüellerinin Avrupa iktisadi düşüncesine karşı ilgi duymaya başlaması ve özel basının gelişimi sayesinde bu alandaki entelektüel tartışmaların ivme kazanması açısından da bir milat teşkil etmektedir. Yine de iktisat biliminin entelektüel bir ilgi alanı olmaktan çıkıp ayrı bir bilimsel disiplin haline dönüşüp profesyonelleşmesi için yaklaşık yüz yıl kadar beklemek gerekti. Bu çalışmanın amacı, döneminin önemli düşünürlerinden biri olan Ord. Prof. İbrahim Fazıl Pelin’in düşüncelerini takdim ve analiz ederek Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’ndan Cumhuriyet’e iktisadın bilimsel evrimine mercek tutmaktır. Erken 20. yy.’a ait tarih araştırmalarında kendisinden söz ediliyor olmasına rağmen, mevcut literatürde henüz Pelin’in sosyal ve iktisadi düşüncesine dair sistemli ve kapsamlı bir inceleme altına alınmamıştır. Bu çalışma, temel olarak, alandaki bu eksikliği gidermeye ve bu olgunlaşmanın gerçekleştiği kuşağın önemli bir parçası olan Pelin’in sosyal ve iktisadi görüşlerini analiz ederek onun düşüncelerinin bu vi çerçevedeki yerini saptamaya odaklanmıştır. İbrahim Fazıl Pelin kendi düşüncelerini ortaya koyarken şimdiye değin literatürde ağırlıklı olarak kendisinden klasik iktisadın bir takipçisi olarak söz edilmiş olmasına rağmen, eklektik bir tutum takınıyor ve liberal düşüncenin odağı olan birey ile Alman Tarih Okulunun odağı olan toplum ve devlet arasında mutedil bir yol izliyordu. Serbest iktisadı ve iktisadi anlamda bireye oluşturulan vurguyu eleştirdiği gibi, sıkı bir devletçilik anlayışını da eleştirmekten geri durmuyor, iktisat modelinde birey ve devlet arasında toplumsal faydayı baz alan bir denge öngörüyordu. Anahtar kelimler: 19. ve 20. yy. Düşünce Tarihi, İktisadi Düşünce Tarihi, Ord. Prof. İbrahim Fazıl Pelin, Liberalizm, Geç Osmanlı Tarihi vii To My Beloved Wife viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, my deepest gratitude is to my thesis supervisor, Academic Staff Dr. Şefika Akile Zorlu Durukan who help me construct and revise my work with her infinite patience and support. Her incomparable support and reliance is the foremost motivation for me. I would like to express my gratitude to my first advisor, Assist. Prof. Dr. Kayhan Orbay who drew my attention to İbrahim Fazıl Pelin and shared his valuable time with me. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Murat Baskıcı for his incomparable support and significant suggestions during my hardest times while writing my thesis. He has always welcomed me whenever I consulted him. I would like to thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Şirin for his support and significant suggestions about my thesis. His statements and knowledge have impacted my thesis positively. I would like to present my special thanks to Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal Akgün for her support. The perspective that she so kindly shared with me, and everything I learned from her, guide me in every moment of my academic life. I would like to offer my thanks to Gürer Karagedikli for his support and motivation while writing my thesis. The questions he brought to my attention were truly important. I would like to express my gratitude to Özgen Özcan. She has continuously encouraged me since the beginning of my writing process. I would like to thank Eyüp Murat Kurt for our stimulating academic conversations. My indebtedness to my family is endless. Their support and love made the completion of this thesis feasible. My adorable wife, Özge Aslanmirza, has been the greatest source of support for me while getting through all the difficulties in life. I would not manage to complete my thesis without her. ix The Atatürk Culture Center (Atatürk Kültür Merkezi) was also very supportive in providing me with funding to proceed in writing my thesis. Lastly, I am grateful to the officers of the Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri and T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Arşivi for their support. x TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM……………………………………………………………………...iii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………...iv ÖZ…………………………………………………………………………………...vi DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………….viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………….ix TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………..xi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………….…………….….1 2. TRANSFORMATION OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT FROM THE OTOMAN EMPIRE TO THE TURKISH REPUBLIC………………………………………..16 2. 1. The Evolution of Economic Thought in the Ottoman Empire……………17 2. 2. Transformation to the Turkish Republic………………………………….41 2. 3. Distinguished Professor İbrahim Fazıl Pelin……………………….……..51 3. İBRAHIM FAZIL PELİN AND ECONOMICS…………..……...…….….……55 3.1. İbrahim Fazıl Pelin’s Definition of Economics……………………………55 3.2. The Scope of Economics…………………………………………………..56 3.3. The Idea of “Law” in Economics & the Relationship of Economics with Natural and Social Sciences……………….…….………………....…….59 3.3.1. Economics in the Sphere of Natural and Social Sciences………….59 3.3.2. The Relationship of Economics with Ethics, and Interest............….63 3.3.3. The Relationship between Economics and the Science of Law…....65 3.3.4. Scientific Method in Economics……...………..…………………...67 3.3.5. A New Glance at the Idea of Law: İbrahim Fazıl Pelin’s Theory of Law............…………….………………………………………..….72 3.3.6. İbrahim Fazıl Pelin and the Institutional Approach……....………...73 3.4. The State in the Thought of İbrahim Fazıl Pelin............................................77 xi 3.4.1. The State and the Individual.............................................................77 3.4.2. The Intervention Areas of the State..................................................83 4. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………...…......98 REFERENCES…