The Well-Protected Domains: Ideology and the Legitimation of Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1876-1909

by Selim Deringil

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.

Genres: History, Middle East, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Selim Deringil is a Turkish academician, professor of history at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul.

Reviews

['Izzat Radzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally intended to read Suraiya Faroqhi's Approaching Ottoman History: An Introduction to the Sources first as a starter to Ottoman's history. Perhaps next time.

[Bünyamin Aydın · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deringil kitabın giriş kısmındaki “Egzotik kuşun peşinde ya da sarığın ötesine bakış” altbaşlığında, kitap boyunca sürdüreceği pozisyonunu aslında etkileyici bir dille anlatmaktadır. Yazarın burada ifade ettiği, özellikle Batı kaynaklı eserlerde rastladığımız Abdülhamid dönemi incelemelerinde, Osmanlıyı çeşitli önyargılar nedeniyle kötüleyici ya da aksine egzotik bir kuş gibi betimleyici ve temelinde oryantalist bir bakış açısı barındıran dil ve anlayışa karşı çıkıyor oluşudur. Yazar, Batılı kaynaklarla birlikte resmi tarih ve Türk solunu da benzer bir bakış açısına sahip olmakla suçlamaktadır. Öte yandan Türk sağını ise Osmanlı’ya atfettiği sui generis rol nedeniyle eleştirir ve bu kesim tarafından Abdülhamid’in şahsi özelliklerinin abartılmakla birlikte siyasal konularla da karıştırıldığı görüşündedir. Bu iki görüşü de eleştirerek ve onlardan bağımsız bir pozisyon oluşturarak yazmaya çalıştığı bu eser öncelikle bu özelliğiyle takdire şayandır.

Hanioğlu’nun da belirttiği üzere, Deringil’in Osmanlı tarihi alanında yaygın iki ekol arasındaki duruşu da yine oldukça başarılıdır. Kısaca özetlemek gerekirse gelenekselci ekol, kaynakların olduğu gibi kullanılması ve yorumlanmaması, analiz edilmemesi yönünde bir görüşe sahipken, bu görüşü karşı çıkan büyük oranda sosyolog, siyasal bilimci ve ekonomistlerden oluşan ikinci bir ekol Osmanlıca öğrenmeksiniz mevcut sosyal bilim kuramları aracılığıyla Osmanlı tarihini açıklamaya çalışmaktadırlar. Deringil, bu noktada Osmanlıca öğrenmesi, kullandığı çeşitli birincil kaynaklar ve bunları Osmanlı’nın derinlemesine yapılmış siyasal ve yönetimsel analiziyle birleştirmesi yönünden başarılı bir eser ortaya koymuştur.

Bu birincil kaynakların incelenmesindeki bir başka önemli nokta ise dönemin Osmanlı devleti ve elitinin bakış açısına yönelik bize derinlemesine bir bilgi sağlamasıdır. Yazar bu noktada, defaatle vurguladığı üzere, son dönem Osmanlı elitinin öncelikli amacının devleti kurtarmak olduğunu söylemektedir.
Bununla birlikte, eleştirdiği ve yaygın bir şekilde kabul edilen bir başka görüş ise Osmanlı’nın, son döneminde Büyük Güçler’in kontrolünde bir kukla olduğuna ilişkin tezdir. Deringil, bu yaygın kanının aksine Osmanlı’nın Avrupa topluluğunun bir parçası olduğundan bahseder ve Osmanlı devletini çağdaşı olduğu Japon, Rus ve Habsburg imparatorluğuyla örnekler üzerinden kıyaslar ve benzeştirir.

Daha derinlemesine bir incelemeye giriştiğimizde Deringil iktidarın meşruiyet aracı olarak kullandığı armalar, Cuma namazı merasimleri, halifelik, eğitim, yabancı misyonerlere karşı verilen propaganda savaşları, kendi vatandaşlarının din değiştirmesi gibi çeşitli konuda detaylı ve isabetli analizler sunmaktadır.

Kitapta iddia edilen temel tezler sırasıyla Osmanlı’nın, a) içeride kendi tebaasına dışarıda ise diğer büyük devletlere karşı bir meşruiyet bunalımı yaşadığı, b) Rus, Japon imparatorlukları gibi diğer devletlerle benzer deneyimlerden geçtiği, c) bu deneyimler sonucu yaşanan zorluklara karşı koyabilmek için değişimler geçirdiği, d) bu değişimler süresince kullanılan dini motif ve kavramlara rağmen özünde seküler-rasyonel bir devlet yaratması çabasıdır.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selim Deringil’s study The Well-Protected Domains seeks to examine the late Ottoman Empire in terms of its dilemma wherein the state was too weak to survive, yet too strong to be pushed aside. The author sees a crisis of legitimacy as having emerged during Mahmud II’s attempts to inject the state deeper into society, one that was exacerbated by the empire’s lack of respectability on the international scene. During the reign of Abdulhamid II, concerted efforts were made to resolve this crisis on both the internal and external levels.

Deringil’s chapters examine the nature of these efforts, the most prominent of which is Abdulhamid’s attempts to forge a direct link between a sacred (Islamic) monarch and the people in the hopes of eschewing political intermediaries. The author demonstrates how this was achieved through four channels: “symbols relating to the sacrality […] of the sultan/caliph”, “personal manifestations of imperial munificence”, “religiously symbolic items”, and “the symbolism of language in Ottoman official documentation”. Part of this program involved the inculcation of the Hanafi School of Islamic law, which emphasized obedience to the caliph, into the population, a move that quickly gave rise to contesting views. This in turn led to a drive to convert and incorporate “fringe” Muslim elements into Sunnism, particularly for purposes of conscription and the promulgation of the new orthodoxy. Education became a priority under Abdelhamid and was heavily controlled, particularly in those regions with large non-Sunni Muslim populations. Tribal schools, meanwhile, were founded to reign in suspect sectors of society and disrupt British influence, and they became important enough that soon Sunni Arabs were seeking to take advantage of the education opportunities that they provided. On the whole, however, a lack of finances limited the impact that these reforms could have.

This focus on education went hand-in-hand with the regime’s covert attempts to interfere with missionary activity. Due to the codification of laws ensuring religious freedom during the Tanzimat period, as well as its foreign commitments, Abdulhamid could not actively repress such ventures, yet at the same time he was deeply suspicious of their destabilizing effects. The introduction of foreign and competing ideologies became viewed as an attempt to further undermine the legitimacy of the state, and Deringil’s examples indicate that these interpretations were far from inaccurate. By examining French, British, and American cases, the author concludes that, despite denials from these nations, there was an attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity, although they were (whether due to the central government’s interference or other factors) mostly unsuccessful. Meanwhile, on the international scene, the Ottoman’s need to portray a positive image took the forms of, first, containing the damage done by international media and then building a new, “civilized” face. Part of this involved a reaction to the trends labelled by Edward Said as “Orientalism”, which were pervasive in Europe and the United States at the time. In addition to a detailed study of Ottoman involvement in World Fairs, Deringil’s analysis emphasizes the sultan’s efforts to “appear as one of the club of European autocrats”. The end result is that the empire becomes obsessed, to a minute level of detail, with controlling its image abroad.

Deringil’s study, though engaging and illuminating, is not without its problems, the most noticeable of which is his assertion that the Ottoman Empire was gradually Turkifying over this period, a claim that runs counter to the trends of modern scholarship and is not clearly substantiated by his research. Furthermore, the classic error of conflating the Ottoman Empire with “Turkey” is made at several junctures. The Well-Protected Domains explicitly places itself as a compromise view between those who see Abdulhamid as a tyrant and those who romanticize his reign and Deringil’s presentation of a Muslim monarchy that navigated, successfully to an extent, modernity, is a worthwhile read and fresh perspective on a well-documented (and hotly contested) historical era.

[Armen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the 19th century Ottoman Empire, looking at it from the perspective of the governing elite in Istanbul. This book challenged my assumptions on a number of points including the personality of Abdulhamid II. I feel enthusiastic about continuing my reading on the late Ottoman Empire.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 3 out of 5]

A welcome revision of the Ottoman Empire's role in a global context during the long 19th century. Deringil stresses the similitude of the Otts to the Russian, Hapsburg, and Meiji monarchy-empires through a variety of lenses of legitimation. The bits on "fine-tuning" officialdom are weak, but Findley's shit more than compensates.

[Ajk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the end of an empire, and all I need is a couch on which to sleep.