This book tells the story of the Dönme; the descendents of Jews who resided in the Ottoman Empire and converted to Islam along with their messiah; Rabbi Shabbatai Tzevi; in the seventeenth century. For two centuries following their conversion; the Dönme were accepted as Muslims; and by the end of the nineteenth century rose to the top of Salonikan society. The Dönme helped transform Salonika into a cosmopolitan city; promoting the newest innovation in trade and finance; urban reform; and modern education. They eventually became the driving force behind the 1908 revolution that led to the overthrow of the Ottoman sultan and the establishment of a secular republic.To their proponents; the Dönme are enlightened secularists and Turkish nationalists who fought against the dark forces of superstition and religious obscurantism. To their opponents; they were simply crypto-Jews engaged in a plot to dissolve the Islamic empire. Both points of view assume the Dönme were anti-religious; whether couched as critique or praise.But it is time that we take these religious people seriously on their own terms. In the Ottoman Empire; the Dönme promoted morality; ethics; spirituality; and a syncretistic religion that reflected their origins at the intersection of Jewish Kabbalah and Islamic Sufism. This is the first book to tell their story; from their origins to their near total dissolution as they became secular Turks in the mid-twentieth century.
#574003 in Books Stanford University Press 1960-06-01 1960-06-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x .80 x 5.40l; .60 #File Name: 0804706298235 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy 3winstfVery good9 of 14 people found the following review helpful. A Flawed Work: A Perfect example of the difficulty of writing historyBy SemmelweisIn 1960; 7 years after the armistice that ended the shooting conflict; Alan Whiting wrote a detailed analysis of China's entry into the Korean War. Based on US documents; and primarily Chinese news accounts; he concluded that US actions provoked China to worry about its security and China was only protecting its interests.But recent works; based on Chinese sources; such as "Mao's Military Romanticism: China and the Korean War"; 1950-1953 (Modern War Studies) by Shu Guang Zhang and "China's Road to the Korean War: by Chen Jian; offer a totally different perspective. They both conclude that Mao wanted war with the US. Mao desired to continue the revolution; to consolidate his control over China and his belief that China deserved to be a major world power. He fervently believed that overwhelming numbers will beat a technologically superior but politically "weak" power.Whiting concluded correctly based on the research information available in 1960. Unfortunately; the information was incomplete and his conclusion was dangerously flawed.In the 1970's this text was the foundation of most history courses. It supported a general anti-US trend in academics. His conclusions are still quoted in the popular press.One advantage of living long enough is sometimes; the truth comes out. Often too late; but still interesting.
