Umut UZER, An Intellectual History of Turkish Nationalism: Between Turkish Ethnicity and Islamic Identity

Europe and Turkey: identities in evolution. An analytical literature review

“…Concurrent with the rise of Islamism, we see the emergence of Turkism as an alternative discourse on national identity. Umut Uzer’s comprehensive study on the intellectual history of Turkish nationalism provides three factors that contributed to the emergence of Turkism: the ethnic separatist movements of minorities in the Empire such as Bulgars, Armenians, Arabs and Albanians which gradually made an inclusive Ottoman identity less and less realistic, emergence of turcology and studies of several eminent Turcologists on pre-Ottoman Turkish history and culture which appealed to Ottoman intellectuals and finally the influence of several Russian born Turkic intellectuals such as Yusuf Akçura and İsmail Gasprinski who were awakened to national consciousness in response to Russia’s pan-Slavic policies ( Uzer, 2016: 2–3, 16–17 ). Works of turcologists such as Arthur Lumley Davids, Constantin Borzecki, Leon Cahun, Friedric ax Müller and particularly the recovery of ancient Orhon Turkic inscriptions by Wilhelm Tomsen helped instill national feelings among Turkish literati ( Uzer, 2016: 18–19 ).…”

“…Akçura believed Turkism was the most realistic choice for the Empire. To this Ziya Gökalp (1776–1924), the ideological father of Turkish nationalism, replied with another article which suggested a blend of three paths; the real Turkish nation would be a result of modernization, Islamization and Turkification ( Uzer, 2016: 55–80 ; Wigen, 2010: 75–79 ).…”

“…The literature pays particular attention to the ideas of Ziya Gökalp, and his usage of concepts of civilization and culture ( Davison, 2006 ; Heyd, 1950 ; Karadaş, 2010 ; Topal, 2017 ; Uzer, 2016 ; Wigen, 2010 ). As demonstrated above the concept of civilization had been a key concept in modernization and Westernization debates in the Ottoman Empire throughout the nineteenth century.…”

“…By the second constitutional period civilization was an issue whose definition had become a distinguishing factor between the competing Ottoman ideologies of Islamism, Turkism and Westernism. It was particularly a defining concept in Ziya Gökalp’s nationalism and his distinction between civilization and culture was the most successful in defining limits and boundaries of emerging Turkish nationhood ( Davison, 2006 ; Karadaş, 2010 ; Topal, 2017 ; Uzer, 2016 ; Wigen, 2010 ).…”

“…The emergence of nationalism has attracted a lot of attention in modern Ottoman studies with a particular focus on the post-1908 period. During the Tanzimat era, the main solution to the Ottoman problem of citizenship was the idea of Ottomanism, an inclusive identity which proposed the allegiance to Ottoman throne as a unifying factor for all Ottoman subjects ( Mardin, 2000 ; Uzer, 2016 ). As argued by Umut Uzer (2016) , fate of Ottomanism was sealed with successive nationalist revolts in the Empire and inspired by the research on ancient Turkic history several intellectuals began to envision a less inclusive Turkish nationalism.…”