UNIVERSITY OF LONDON See over for Abstract of Thesis notes on completion Author (full names) .....V^.VrN.Uk.kr. ........................................................................................... Title of thesis ....... ................................................ ........................................................................ LS.T.v^Al&U.L Q.vA.&JLSsLk I.lA.e. L.4.7.fc £ £ f e i S ? .0................ Degree......................................................... This dissertation deals with madrasa education in Istanbul during the late Ottoman period. It mainly focuses on the period between 1839 when the Tanzimat was promulgated and 1908 when the Young Turk Revolution took place. The subject has usually been neglected by the existing literature and treated within the general assumptions relying on dichotomous and simplistic analyses. This study aims to demonstrate that the history of Istanbul madrasas is more complex than the existing literature has suggested, primarily using the archival documents from the Prime Ministerial Ottoman ArchivesBa$bcikanhk (. Osmanh Ar§ivleri) as well as the §eyhulislamate Archives(Me§ihat Ar§ivi) in Istanbul, memoirs and biographical works. The subject has been dealt with in two main parts. Each part is composed of two chapters. In the first part, madrasa teachers are the focal point of analysis. The first chapter examines the professional, institutional and intellectual aspects of madrasa teachers. In the second chapter, the social, cultural and educational composition of Istanbul dersiams has been explored statistically through the information extracted from their personnel files. The third chapter attempts to draw a comprehensive picture of madrasa students in the period in Istanbul. Taking into account their educational activities as well as career patterns in non­ religious fields, it is also aimed to demonstrate their responses/re actions to shifting circumstances that occurred as a result of the reforms and some other factors such as international relations in the period. The last chapter mainly concentrates on the state perception of madrasa education and thus the relationship between the rise of modern state apparatus and madrasa education chiefly through disciplinary cases and imperial integration policies. ProQuest Number: 10731388 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10731388 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Bound By Biissett Bookbinders 020 8992 3965 www.blissetts.com T e a c h in g a n d L e a r n in g IN THE MADRASAS OF ISTANBUL DURING THE LATE OTTOMAN PERIOD BY H a l il Ib r a h im E r b a y A D issertation S ubm itted f o r t h e d e g r e e o f D o c t o r o f P h il o s o p h y in H istory in S c h o o l o f O riental a n d A frica n S t u d ie s , U niversity o f Lo n d o n 2009 DECLARATION This dissertation is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Halil Ibrahim ERBAY A b s t r a c t This dissertation deals with madrasa education in Istanbul during the late Ottoman period. It mainly focuses on the period between 1839 when the Tanzimat was promulgated and 1908 when the Young Turk Revolution took place. The subject has usually been neglected by the existing literature and treated within the general assumptions relying on dichotomous and simplistic analyses. This study aims to demonstrate that the history of Istanbul madrasas is more complex than the existing literature has suggested, primarily using the archival documents from the Prime Ministerial Ottoman Archives (Basbalmnlik Osmanli Arsivleri ) as well as the Seyhulislamate Archives (.Mesihat Arsivi) in Istanbul, memoirs and biographical works. The subject has been dealt with in two main parts. Each part is composed of two chapters. In the first part, madrasa teachers are the focal point of analysis. The first chapter examines the professional, institutional and intellectual aspects of madrasa teachers. In the second chapter, the social, cultural and educational composition of Istanbul dersiams has been explored statistically through the information extracted from their personnel files. The third chapter attempts to draw a comprehensive picture of madrasa students in the period in Istanbul. Taking into account their educational activities as well as career patterns in non-religious fields, it is also aimed to demonstrate their responses/reactions to shifting circumstances that occurred as a result of the reforms and some other factors such as international relations in the period. The last chapter mainly concentrates on the state perception of madrasa education and thus the relationship between the rise of modem state apparatus and madrasa education chiefly through disciplinary cases and imperial integration policies. A cknowledgements The completion of this dissertation owes so much to a number of people and institutions. Without their encouragement, help and material support, it would have not been possible. It is a pleasure to acknowledge their generous efforts and I wish to thank all of them. First and foremost, my thanks go to my supervisor Benjamin C. Fortna. Throughout the long period of my work, Ben has always been more than a supervisor and afforded generous moral support and friendship as well as intellectual guidance. His incredibly positive approach and manner created the most suitable environment for me to study at SO AS. The financial suppoit of the Ministry of Education of Turkey made this project possible. I am so grateful to its staff in Ankara that has always been helpful during my study in Britain and during my research in Istanbul. I made my journey in pursuit of knowledge in Britain with two special persons: my cousin Mahmut Erbay, and my close friend Ali Goksu. They have always been great sources of inspiration over the years. Their friendship has always been - and still is - invaluable. I also wish to thank another close friend and colleague, Ismail Hacinebioglu with whom I shared many things during our stay in Britain. I would like to thank my old friends Murat Berk and A.Kerim Asilsoy. Both of them often sacrificed their time for helping me in my struggle with the documents in the archives in Istanbul. Murat and his wife Derya also deserve special thanks for their warm hospitality during my stay in New York. Ilyas Ozmay was always supportive when I needed him. I would also like to thank another close friend Omer Gundogdu, who is a man of wisdom. I particularly owe thanks to my cousin Sevgi and her husband Michael, both of whom did their best for me since I arrived in London. In London, many friends provided an excellent atmosphere in which I could study. I thank Hiiseyin Aslan for his unfailing energy and sense of humour. I can 4 never forget the hospitality of Necmi Ak?ay and his wife in Finsbury Park. Their home has been my place for Turkish tea, cookies and Turkish TV channels during most weekends for years. Among many others, I also would like to thank Turalay Ken9, Mesut Aydin, Mehmet and Filiz Karaca, Nurullah Cretin, Munir Yildirim, Ibrahim Giineri, Bekir Kavut, Bilal Savas, Michelangelo Guida, Sedat Ladner, Ihsan Bal, Omer Tiirker and Nilanjan Sarkar. I also would like to take this opportunity to commemorate two great young friends who passed away during my stay in London: Meliha and Ridvan. I will always cherish my memories of them! During my study, I had the chance to make friends in the field of Ottoman history. Since I first met him in the Muftiiluk Archives years ago, Jun Akiba has always been a close friend and a colleague. I am indebted to him for providing me with many sources, and reading the earlier draft of this dissertation. Jun also organized a workshop in Tokyo in which I found the opportunity to present an earlier version of Chapter 2 and to share my findings with the Japanese Ottomanists. I also wish to thank Bilgin Aydin who encouraged me to enter the world of Ottoman ulama with his excellent expertise on the Muftiiluk Archives. I am grateful to Yonca Koksal and Figen Taskin. I greatly enjoyed their company and benefited from our conversations during my research in Istanbul. I would like to thank the staffs of several libraries and archives for being extremely helpful during my research: Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivleri (Istanbul), Istanbul Muftiilugu Mesihat Arsivi, SO AS Library (London) and ISAM Library (Istanbul). I am also grateful to my colleagues in my new institution, Harran University, particularly Ibrahim Hakki Inal, Rifat Atay, Adnan Demircan and Salih Aydemir for their constant support during my writing stage. I am indebted to my editors, Gina Spiezia and Clyde Forsberg, for their efforts which saved me many errors. All of the members of my extended family have always been generous in their constant moral and material support. I am extraordinarily indebted to my brothers O.Faruk and A.Hamit, my sisters-in-law Fatma and Atiye and my uncle Celal Erbay for their continuous support. My nephews Asim and Hakan, and nieces Elif and Serra were my source of joy. I particularly wish to thank my parents, Ummuhan and Huseyin Erbay who are the first who taught me to learn.