ePub Learned Patriots: Debating Science; State; and Society in the Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Empire by M. Alper Yalçinkaya in History

Description

The nineteenth century was; for many societies; a period of coming to grips with the growing; and seemingly unstoppable; domination of the world by the “Great Powers” of Europe. The Ottoman Empire was no exception: Ottomans from all walks of life—elite and non-elite; Muslim and non-Muslim—debated the reasons for what they considered to be the Ottoman decline and European ascendance. One of the most popular explanations was deceptively simple: science. If the Ottomans would adopt the new sciences of the Europeans; it was frequently argued; the glory days of the empire could be revived. In Learned Patriots; M. Alper Yalçinkaya examines what it meant for nineteenth-century Ottoman elites themselves to have a debate about science. Yalçinkaya finds that for anxious nineteenth-century Ottoman politicians; intellectuals; and litterateurs; the chief question was not about the meaning; merits; or dangers of science. Rather; what mattered were the qualities of the new “men of science.” Would young; ambitious men with scientific education be loyal to the state? Were they “proper” members of the community? Science; Yalçinkaya shows; became a topic that could hardly be discussed without reference to identity and morality. Approaching science in culture; Learned Patriots contributes to the growing literature on how science travels; representations and public perception of science; science and religion; and science and morality. Additionally; it will appeal to students of the intellectual history of the Middle East and Turkish politics.