Elmas Zeynep (Aksoy) Arslan
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CIRCASSIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE (1908-1923) ELMAS ZEYNEP (AKSOY) ARSLAN BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY 2008 CIRCASSIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE (1908-1923) Thesis submitted to the Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History by Elmas Zeynep (Aksoy) Arslan Boğaziçi University 2008 ABSTRACT Circassian Organizations In The Ottoman Empire (1908-1923) by Elmas Zeynep (Aksoy) Arslan My thesis is composed of two main sections, namely, Circassian Union and Support Association and Circassian Women’s Support Association. In these two main sections, there are two sub-headings in these two sections such as the newspaper Gûâze and Diyâne magazine. Circassian Union and Support Association, the first society founded by the Circassians in the Ottoman Empire, was founded in Istanbul on 4 November 1908. I introduced my thesis by describing where and under what conditions the Circassian Union and Support Association was founded. After learning about the founders and the active members, I focused on the activities of Circassian Union and Support Association. Under a general heading, I mentioned about the activities of the society. I tried to demonstrate those activities of the society that were ahead of its respective era and gave rise to great sensations. The Circassian Women’s Support Association and its activities which I can call the second section of my thesis was one of the parts of my thesis worthy of attention. I introduced to this section by touching upon the foundation process and founders of Circassian Women’s Support Association. We can see that, in this society founded by five women, Hayriye Melek Hunç took the leading role. iii Following the founders of Circassian Women’s Support Association, I started studying the activities of the society. The Circassian Women’s Support Society realized a dream of Circassian Union and Support Association and founded the Circassian Girl School. The Diyâne magazine, the publication body of Circassian Women’s Support Association, was the sub-heading of this section. To conclude, I tried to describe how the Circassian Union and Support Association and Circassian Women’s Support Association aimed to bring the Circassians living in diaspora under the single roof and create a Circassian nation with a single past, and a common future. iv ÖZET Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’ndaki Çerkes Cemiyetleri (1908-1923) Elmas Zeynep (Aksoy) Arslan Tezim, Çerkes İttihat ve Teavün Cemiyeti ve Çerkes Kadınları Teavün Cemiyeti olmak üzere iki ana bölümden oluşmaktadır. Bu iki ana bölümde ise Guaze gazetesi ve Diyane dergisi olarak iki alt başlık bulunmaktadır. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda Çerkesler tarafından kurulmuş ilk dernek olma özelliği taşıyan Çerkes İttihat ve Teavün Cemiyeti 4 Kasım 1908 yılında İstanbul’da kuruldu. Cemiyetin nerede, hangi şartlarda ve nasıl kurulduğunu anlatarak tezime başladım. Kurucuları ve aktif üyeleri tanıdıktan sonra Çerkes İttihat ve Teavün Cemiyeti’nin faaliyetlerine yoğunlaştım. Genel bir başlık altında cemiyetin faaliyetlerinden bahsettim. Özellikle dönemin önünde ve ses getiren çalışmalarına tezimde ayrıntılı yer vermeye çalıştım. İkinci bölüm olarak adlandırabileceğim Çerkes Kadınları Teavün Cemiyeti ve faaliyetleri ise tezimin dikkat çeken parçalarından biriydi. Çerkes Kadınları Teavün Cemiyeti’nin kuruluş çalışmalarına ve kurucularına yer vererek bu bölüme başladım. Beş bayan tarafından faaliyete geçirilen bu cemiyette özellikle Hayriye Melek Hunç Hanım’a tezimde büyük bir yer ayırdım ve onun hayatını inceledim. Çerkes Kadınları Teavün Cemiyeti tarafından kurulan Çerkes Kız Numune Mektebi ‘ne yer verdim. Çerkes Kadınları Teavün Cemiyeti’nin yayın organ olan Diyane dergisi ise bu bölümün ara başlığıydı. v Sonuç olarak da; Çerkes İttihat ve Teavün Cemiyeti ve Çerkes Kadınları Teavün Cemiyeti’nin diasporada yaşayan Çerkesleri tek çatı altında toplamayı amaçladığını ve “geçmişi bir; geleceği ortak” bir Çerkes milleti yaratmayı hedeflediğini gözler önüne sermeye çalıştım. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There is physical and moral support of many people in presenting this thesis with the signature of Elmas Zeynep Aksoy Arslan. First, I would like to voice my gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof Yavuz Selim Karakışla who supported me in every stage of this thesis and who guided me whenever I lost my way and became desperate, And, to Prof. Dr Selçuk Esenbel and Prof Dr. Günhan Danışman who enhanced my thesis with their comments and the information they gave to me. I would like to thank to my mother İclal Aksoy and my father Nevzat Aksoy who have made me feel that I’m the luckiest child in the world by their endless love, support and care since I was born. It’s just as well that I am your child… I would like to tender my thanks to my elder brother Elbruz Umut Aksoy who pulled the trigger of this study in my first academic year at the university saying that “Zeynep, you should study on Circassian Union and Support Association.” I would like to thank to my beloved father-in-law Yalçın Arslan who listened to me before thesis defense and relieved my mind by his unique comments. I would like to thank to Mrs. Rengin Yurdakul, Mr. Rami Tuna, Mr. Sefer Berzeg and Mr Aytek Kurmel who helped me greatly in finding resources and during my oral history studies. I would to express my special thanks to the beloved secretary of History department Mrs Oya Arıkan, and to Mr Barış from Durak Copy and Dear Bülent Çelik for their operational support. vii And, “I” would like to thank to my beloved brother Selim Ahmetoğlu who preceded me throughout my life at this university for all kind of support he provided me. Finally, I would like to thank to my classmate, best friend and dear husband Enver Arslan who contributed his efforts to every single line of this thesis. He encouraged me holding my hand and saying “Don’t worry, you will finish this thesis” whenever I became stressful, unbalanced because of sleeplessness, beetle- browed due to despair, burst into laughter because of nervousness, and whenever I burst into tears because of sadness. He did not hesitate to make contributions to my thesis at the expense of ignoring his own work. The greatest fortune of my life….If you had not been here with me this thesis would not have existed. Thanks for your care, heart and love. This thesis is for you my dearest … viii CONTENTS CHAPTER1: INTRODUCTION...………………….……………………………..... 1 Subject Choice and Its Importance.…....………………........……………...... 19 Methodology and Sources………………………………………………......... 22 CHAPTER 2: CIRCASSIAN UNION AND SUPPORT ASSOCIATION...........… 27 The Foundation of the Circassian Union and Support Association….............. 27 The By-law and Declaration of Circassian Union and Support Association.... 35 The Activities of Circassian Union and Support Association ……................. 44 CHAPTER 3: GÛÂZE JOURNAL………………………………………...…........ 53 General Features of Gûâze Journal…………………………................……... 53 The Writers of Gûâze Journal ………………………..……………................ 56 The Content of Gûâze Journal…………………………….…………............. 58 Facilities of Circassian Union and Support Association that took place in Gûâze Journal ……………………………….............................................. 62 The Audience and The Messages of Guaze Journal………….…….............. 161 CHAPTER 4: CIRCASSIAN WOMEN’S SUPPORT ASSOCIATION……........ 165 The Establishment of the Circassian Women’s Support Association............. 165 The Founders of the Circassian Women’s Support Association................... 167 Circassian Women’s Support Association and Its Activities…..................... 185 The Structure of Circassian Women’s Support Association ………............. 186 Schools For Circassian Girls……………………………….......................... 191 CHAPTER 5: DİYANE JOURNAL……………………………………................200 General Characteristics of Diyane……………………………….…............. 200 The Content, Articles and Messages………………………….......................202 The End of Circassian Women’s Association………………………………209 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION………………………........................................... 213 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………........... 220 Primary Sources…………………………………………….......................... 220 Secondary Sources………………………………….…................................. 223 APPENDICES………………………………………………................................. 227 Index............................................................................................................... 227 Modern Turkish Transcription of the Selected Articles in Gûâze and Diyane...................................................................................... 243 Selected Documents from Ottoman Archives and Photographes................... 297 ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Each geographical place has a story… And the beings who lived, is living and who will live there are the ones sharing this story. One of the richest geographical places, in terms of its many stories, is Anatolia. In fact, Anatolia, as a crossing point of civilizations and an engagement of cultures, is a story book that is to become thicker “as long as the world exists”… Undoubtedly, a little page of this book has also been allocated to Circassians, as well; with their woolens, dances and daggers… Also, a short paragraph of this page certainly mentions about Circassian heroes who tried to set their seal on the era they lived in; who ran after cultural heritage they would like to hand down their descendants and who achieved this goal partly; perhaps we know their