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How did the late Ottoman Empire grapple with the challenge of modernity and survive? Rejecting explanations based on the concept of an "Islamic empire" or the tired paradigm of the "Eastern Question," Selim Deringil focuses on imperial ideology and draws out the striking similarities between the Ottoman and other late legitimist empires like Russia, Austria and Japan. Deringil’s vivid narrative traces the Ottoman state’s pursuit of legitimization in public ceremonies, in the iconography of buildings, music, the honors system and the language of the chancery; in its proto-nationalist reformulation of Islamic legal practices; in its efforts to inculcate, through an expanded education system, the idea of an "Ottoman citizenry"; and in the efforts of the Ottoman elite to present a "civilized" image abroad.
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THE WELL-PROTECTED DOMAINS Ideology and the Legitimation of Power in the Ottoman Empire 1876-1909 Selim Deringil
LB.TAURIS Publishers LONDON-NEW YORK
This edition digitally reprinted in 2004 by Bookchase Printed and bound in the EU L.D.: SE-3846-2004 in Spain Paperback edition published in 1999 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Road London W2 4BU www.ibtauris.com 175 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10010 In the United States of America and in Canada distributed by Palgrave MacmUlan, a divison of St. Martin's Press 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright © 1998 Selim Deringil All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book or any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library A full CIP record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 1 86064 472 4 Set in Adobe Jenson by Hepton Books, Oxford
Dedicated to my father Efdal Deringil
For God's sake, let us sit on the ground, And tell sad stories of the death of Kings: How some have been depos'd; some slain in war; Some haunted by the ghosts that have depos'd; Some poison'd by their wives; some sleeping kill'd King Richard II, Act III, Scene II
You may attack your enemy, you need not think whether you are right or wrong, sooner or later your judicial staff will find the best pretexts to prove you right. Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince
The Sublime State finds itself stuck among Christian states ... Even if our material and diplomatic resources were unlimited, we would still be obliged to seek the aid of some of the Great Powers ... However, all aid among states is based upon mutual suspicion and calculated interest,.. Said Pasa, Memorandum prepared for the Sultan
Contents
Acknowledgements Map Introduction 1
x xii 1
'Long Live the Sultan!': Symbolism and Power in the Hamidian Regime
16
2
The Ottomani^ation of the Seriat
44
3
'To Enjoin the Good and to Forbid Evil': Conversion and Ideological Reinforcement
68
4
Education: the Answer to all Evil?
93
5
'They Confuse and Excite Minds': The Missionary Problem.
112
6
Ottoman Image Management and Damage Control
135
7
The Ottoman'Self Portrait'
150
8
Conclusion
166
Notes Bibliography Index
111 237 250
Acknowledgements
I owe thanks to a great many people for the help, advice, criticism, encouragement, and above all, the patience, that they were good enough to send my way. First and foremost thanks go to my colleague Selcuk Esenbel, who served as my 'inspiring muse', taskmaster, and first reader without whose help this book would simply not have been written. Similarly, my heartfelt thanks go to Daniel Goffman for his willingness to read drafts and provide incisi