M.A. Theses

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A generational study of the Hasenan tribe from the Tanzimat era to the first world war
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Polat, Mahmut.; Cora, Yaşar Tolga.
This study investigates the ruling family of the Hasenan tribe in the Muş region from the Tanzimat era to the outbreak of the First World War. I follow the dynamic relationship between the Ottoman state and Hasenan tribal leadership, built on both conflict and collaboration, over the course of two generations. The Hasenan developed social, economic, and military relations with three different Ottoman regimes over the period discussed. This study emphasizes that, unlike its predecessors, the Hamidian regime managed to become a strong political actor in the region by upending the tribal structure of Kurdish tribes, causing lesser chiefs to rise to higher positions within the tribal hierarchy following the establishment of the Hamidian regiments. This study further argues that with the establishment of the Hamidian regiments, internal rivalries between Kurdish tribes increased, causing arbitrary and systematic violence in the region. The competition between Kurdish chiefs to seize and acquire land and property had a devastating impact on Armenian and Kurdish peasants. In this way, peasants inhabiting in the region experienced an unprecedented level of violence and havoc. Lastly, this study demonstrates that although the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) considered the Hasenan chiefs to be relicts of the Hamidian era, Hasenan leaders managed to ally with the CUP, illustrating that they could be extremely pragmatic in their relationship with the Ottoman state.
Cretan refugees in Izmir : memory and identity
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Hanyalı, Sümeyra.; Öztürkmen, Arzu, 1965- .
This thesis examines the memory and identity of Cretan Muslims who were forced to migrate to Turkey after the Exchange of Population Convention between Greece and Turkey in 1923. After the signing of the convention, many people from Turkey and Greece became a refugee, and the Cretan Muslims in this context were both displaced and migrated to a place where they did not know the spoken language. Therefore, their adaptation process was much more difficult. The thesis attempts to analyze the collective memory of the forced migration experience and how Cretan refugees (mübadils) constructed their identities in the present. The oral narratives and life stories of Cretan Muslims who live in İzmir were used as primary sources in this thesis. Apart from oral narratives, it was also benefited from secondary sources and archival documents to present main framework of Cretan Muslims migration. Since there are not many resources on the migration experiences of Cretan Muslims, the main source of this thesis is the oral accounts.
The tenth century Byzantine expansion in Crete, Cyprus, and Northern Syria : ideology and practice
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Çetinkaya, Berke.; Durak, Şevki Koray.
In modern scholarship, the Byzantine-Islamic frontier is usually perceived as a monolithic entity; the inner dynamics of each frontier region, which made them distinct from one another, as well as the different treatment of each region by the Byzantines are neglected. The overarching objective of this thesis is to adopt a comparative and micro-scale approach to examine the tenth-century Byzantine expansion into Crete, Cyprus, and Northern Syria in order to trace the differences in the Byzantine treatment of the conquered regions both in ideology and practice. The first two chapters of this thesis examine the geographical discourse and the discourse of war created by the Byzantines during the tenth century military expansion. The first chapter of this thesis focuses on how the historical memory of the long-term socio-religious and political dynamics of each region strongly shaped the geographical discourse created by the Constantinople-centered literati. The second chapter discusses the "defensive" nature of the Byzantine expansion in the tenth century and argues that the Byzantine discourse on war or war rhetoric was strongly based on the idea of the protection of the empire as well as the well-being of the state and its people. The third chapter focuses on demonstrating how the religious and civil administration, taxation system, and military organization implemented after the Byzantine reconquests were shaped by the internal structue of the frontier regions and the broader dynamics of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Between two capitals : infrastructure, architecture, and urbanism on the Ottoman Orta Kol
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Bozkır, Can.; Kafesçioğlu, Çiğdem.
his thesis studies the architectural and urban history between Edirne and Istanbul on the Orta Kol until the 18th century. Since academic studies on Istanbul and Edirne relatively neglect the significance of the towns between them, it is hoped that this study will shed light on the history of the region. In this work, effects of being located between the two capitals of the Ottoman Empire and on the main artery to the West on urbanization of settlements are emphasized along with construction motives and patronage. After presenting the history of the region before the arrival of the Ottomans briefly, the use of the road during the Ottoman period, the change of routes, stopover points, infrastructural works, and safety measures to ensure the functionality of the road are examined. The roles these towns had on the provision of travelers, the provisioning of city of Istanbul, the Ottoman court, and the army are explored alongside the urban networks they formed. In remaining chapters, architectural and urban histories of the settlements, each of which formed a stopover point, are studied from following the route from Istanbul to Edirne respectively. In the light of the information presented, it is possible to divide the construction of infrastructure and public buildings periods into three main periods, which roughly correspond to the reign of Mehmed II, the reigns of Süleyman I and Selim II, and the 17th century. Consequently, it is seen that the road and the towns were of essential importance for the Empire, grew tremendously and retained their importance until 1703, when the palace made a definitive return to Istanbul from Edirne after a 50 year period when it was mainly located in the Thracian capital.
The bureaucratization and modernization of the naib in the Ottoman Empire: 1839-1864
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Öyük, Hasan Fatih.; Cora, Yaşar Tolga.
This thesis analyzes the office of naib in the Ottoman Empire during the early Tanzimat era. The aim of the research is to understand the reformation and transformation in the legal domain of the Ottoman Empire during the Tanzimat period. With the spread of tax farming in the Ottoman legal system during the 17th and 18th centuries the naibs became important power holders in the provinces with the total legal and administrative power of the kadıs. With the Tanzimat order, this position became a target of the newly established central government together with the other local power holders. The transformation in the legal domain in this period is analyzed according to the centralization narrative of the Tanzimat era. The thesis argues that the naibs were important local political actors with their legal and administrative capacities, who allied or challenged the other local and central actors and played an essential role in local politics. Lastly, it is claimed that the government created new forms of control over the naibs to increase its control over the judiciary domain. Based on the analysis of the number of dismissed naibs between 1839 and 1864, it is argued that the government used the practice of dismissing naibs with the claims of impropriety, corruption and bribery frequently to establish a power mechanism against the naibs.
Copying Chalkokondyles : Greek manuscript production in 16th- century Venice
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Kurtoğlu, Ferhat Sezer.; Necipoğlu, Nevra.
Laonikos Chalkokondyles, one of the four contemporary Byzantine historiographers of the fall of Byzantium, composed his work in the early 1460s after the advancing Ottomans captured Constantinople and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire. His Herodotean treatise, the Demonstrations of Histories (Apodeixis Historion), gained considerable popularity in manuscript form during the first half of the 16th century before a Latin translation appeared in print in Basel in 1556. Two-thirds of 32 extant manuscripts are known or are likely to have been produced in Venice between 1540 and 1550. The purpose of the thesis is to contextualize this extensive copying activity centered in Venice around the 1540s. It will first examine the manuscript tradition of the Histories and the paratextual evidence found in manuscripts, then scrutinize the overall production output of the scribes and the collections of patrons or book merchants who were in possession of the manuscripts in question, and finally inspect the connections between the copyists and the patrons. By discovering the intellectual spaces in which the manuscripts of the Histories were placed, the study will reveal economic, social, and intellectual tendencies in mid-16th-century Venice that popularized the Greek manuscripts of Laonikos Chalkokondyles’ narrative of the fall of Byzantium and the rise of the Ottomans.
On the margins of nationality : passports in late occupied Istanbul
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Panelas, Allison.; Cora, Yaşar Tolga.
This study investigates passport policies and their relationship to legal nationality during the last year of the Allied occupation of Istanbul from September 1922 until October 1923. Particularly looking at the attitude of British occupation authorities and British foreign service administrators, we see that passports were a significant source of conflict between the Allies and the newly victorious Turkish National Movement, institutionalized in the Ankara government. This study argues that a nearly violent clash between British and Turkish authorities in December of 1922 marked a turning point after which the Allies retreated from trying to impose their will on the city of Istanbul, particularly in their mission to protect Ottoman Christians. After conceding sovereignty over legitimate movement to the Ankara government, the British would also change their attitude towards travel documents. They would now try to only issue full passports to those who were British subjects, minimize the number of travel passes they were issuing to others, and make sure they had found a state to take in refugees before evacuating them on British expense. This study will follow a number of groups of people under British protection who struggled with the newly implemented passport regime and unpack how this affected their nationality status. By looking at the implementation of the international passport regime in its early years of use, when borders were being negotiated and sovereignty was contested, this study seeks to illuminate some of the foundations for the philosophical and legal connections between passports and nationality.
Surviving through the modern times : ulema seaside mansions and households in Istanbul, 1790-1890
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Niziplioğlu, İbrahim Enes.; Eldem, Edhem, 1960- .
Ottoman ulema families as a social entity have rarely attracted the attention of academic scholarship. The existing literature on the ulema on the edge of the Tanzimat reforms circulates around institutional change along with a limitation to secularist and nationalistic biases. Furthermore, the ilmiye’s political decline can be seen in a number of works, which, in fact, does not necessarily bring socioeconomic decline. In this regard, the present work questions and identifies the Istanbulite ulema households in the examples of their residences, sahilhane, or seaside mansions, on a particular geographical along the Bosphorus Strait. Moreover, in the nineteenth century, the thesis aims to draw attention to the remaining dominance of particular ulema families within the ilmiye bureaucracy in the nineteenth century, while examining the Şeyhülislams of the century and a number of ulema genealogies. By doing so, it outlines the Bostancıbaşı records and population registers of the Bosphorus Strait, examining human geography and social topography in a specific coastal line. Overall, the thesis aims to provide an analysis of ulema households and claims that there was no visible decline of the ilmiye in the nineteenth century in terms of socioeconomic wealth, and the presence of the ulema on the opulent shores of the Bosphorus could be discussed as an indicator for such claim.
The waterfront and the cosmopolitan settlement : spatial transformations in Smyrna between the 1688 earthquake and the development of the quay
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Gutay, Ege.; Girardelli, Paolo.
This dissertation examines spatial transformations in the urban environment that took place in nineteenth century Smyrna, with a special focus on the area on the waterfront and the so-called Rue de Franque, the main artery of foreign, Levantine, “cosmopolitan” settlement. Since the early-modern period, Smyrna played an essential role in mercantile activities in the eastern Mediterranean and became a commercial hub where diverse communities coexisted. Thus, these changes are observed and assessed as landscape transformations, in the sense that special attention is given to the subjective, perspectival aspects of representation, subject to change over time and according to contexts and backgrounds. Nevertheless, the transformations that took place in Smyrna’s urban landscape were a product of gradual, complex, and contested processes. Several factors, such as geographical features, natural disasters, changes in the global regime of commercial exchange, international relations, and state/communal regulations, impacted this process. Besides, in this remarkably diverse urban and social space, cross-cultural relations and plural affiliations were important parts of the transformation process in which individuals and communities became significant actors. In this regard, this thesis investigates how, when, and why spatial transformations took place, how the changing landscape was represented, how urban changes were affected by crosscultural relations and communities, and to what extent these transformations impacted a multicultural urban and social environment.
Ahmet Rıfat Efendi's Mirâtü’l-Mekâsid : the possibility of a Sunni Bektaşiyye in the nineteenth century
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2022., 2022) Kiper, Metin.; Terzioğlu, Derin.
This thesis focuses on the work Mir’âtü'l-Mekâsid fî Def'i'l Mefâsid, which was written by a Bektaşi intellectual, Ahmet Rıfat Efendi in 1875. Although the Bektaşi order left its mark on the Ottoman Empire and had a long-standing association with the Janissary corps, it was also known for its heterodox and non-Sunni orientation. Yet, in Mir’âtü'l-Mekâsid, the author describes a Sunni Bektaşiyye. In this work, the Bektaşi order is represented as a Sufi order that was no different from the other Sunni Sufi orders. In particular, the author's efforts to bring together the Halidi branch of the Nakşibendi order and the Bektaşi order stand out. Why did Ahmet Rıfat Efendi represent Bektaşis in this way? This thesis argues that the answer to this question lies in the new challenges faced by Bektaşis in the nineteenth century. In 1826, the Bektaşi order was abolished along with the Janissary corps and many Bektaşi lodges were destroyed or given over to Nakşibendi sheikhs. Despite these setbacks, however, the Bektaşi order could survive and gradually recuperated. Yet, the attacks on the Bektaşis did not cease. In 1875, Harputlu Ishak Hoca penned a polemical work against the order. This thesis argues that Ahmet Rıfat Efendi penned his work in response to this and similar attacks and aimed to create. The necessary conditions and concessions for the Bektaşi order continue to exist in the late 19th -century Ottoman world.
Images of time : analysis of stele of Vultures and Victory stele of Naram-Sin
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2022., 2022) Koçer, Azra Ruveyde.; Özyar, Aslı.
Commemorative monuments were created in Mesopotamia for the first time. They were carved in relief and inscribed withs texts and recorded historical events with name of the ruler. This thesis investigates the connections between the image and text on the Stele of Vultures from the Early Dynastic Period and the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin from the Akkadian Period to understand the use of the text to complement and strengthen the layers of meaning through its relation to the image. This study aims to explore the multiple layers of meaning that are present on the plane of composition of the steles through an understanding of polysemic nature of the cuneiform script and its role in creating Deleuzian time-images on the world of imagery on the steles. Because cuneiform scripts are not meant for the spoken language but rather reflects a visual mode of expression, its relation to the image necessitates a visual analysis that also accounts for the materiality of writing. For this reason, Deleuzian analysis of the images concerning relations of images to the time will be used for uncovering the layers of meaning that concerns the epistemological and ontological aspects of the writing. Through this understanding, this thesis will argue the change in the royal ideology and how its representation through the monuments of war was changed through time. This analysis will present the close relationship of the political ideals and ontological placement of the ruler is affected by the visual representation.
Ottoman official discourse and its reflections during the Crimean War
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Coşkuner, Fatma Özyiğit.; Deringil, Selim,
From a number of aspects the Crimean War was a turning point for the Ottoman Empire. During this war the greatest powers in Europe went into action with the Ottomans and with the Paris Peace Treaty at the end of the war the Ottoman Empire was included in the Concert Of Europe. This situation had effects on the creation of the Ottoman official statements as well as on the propaganda that was carried out during the war. Relying on European support, the Ottoman Empire tried to bring Russia’s aggressive attitude to the fore while demonstrating its own peaceful attitude to the Europeans. This situation is closely connected to the concept of international law in the 19th century. The Ottoman Empire, which was trying to justify itself according to international law, used every opportunity to bring to the fore Russia’s unjustified attacks on her soil. The Crimean War can be seen as a battle in which, for the Russians, the peak of Orthodoxy was reached. The Russians used Orthodoxy both in official statements and in popular culture, and this war was perceived as a victory of Orthodoxy over Islam. The Ottomans, although an Islamic empire, were very careful in the way they used the Islamic components, due to the fact that their allies and an important section of their own citizens were non-Muslim. While this situation had an effect on Ottoman official statements, it also opened the way to a variety of relationships between the state and the people. Thus, slowly the first structures of a popular culture in the Ottomans had begun to form.
Spor Alemi (1919-1929): A Turkish sports magazine in the transition period from The Ottoman Empire to The Turkish Republic
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Eroğul, Ali.; Karakışla, Yavuz Selim,
In this thesis, stages of development of sports, especially football in the last years of the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Turkish Republic in the framework of the Spor Alemi magazine (1919-1929). For this purpose, all available issues of the magazine have been scanned, examnined and indexed. The stance of the magazine concerning current sports discussions has been looked into; its approach to various sports such as boxing, rowing and billiards has been examined. Football has been the focus of the thesis while also looking at how the official football policies were applied. In that context, news items and articles published in the magazine have been studied; examples of football news from Istanbul, the West and Anatolia have been cited. Therefore, this study aims not only to shed a light on Spor Alemi (1919-1929), but also on the history of Turkish football itself.|Keywords: Sport Periodicals in Ottoman, Football, the Ottoman Empire, Sports, Spor Alemi.
Instrumentalization of music in the late Ottoman Empire: The case of the Teutonia
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Akyoldaş, Ayşe Seren.; Karakışla, Yavuz Selim,
This thesis intends to perceive music as a medium being influenced by the political agenda of its epoch. In order to observe the use of music for political goals in the late Ottoman Empire, in the light of the archival materials, memoirs, newspapers, journals, and travel accounts, this thesis focuses on the evolution of the Western Classical Music in the Ottoman Empire. Having developed within the palace and then moved outwards through “catching up” with the Western ideals, the use of Western Classical Music will show that music had been perceived as an important part of the Ottoman Westernization process. In the second part of the thesis, the cultural performances, especially the musical activities, which were organized by the German Club Teutoina will be examined, where the political instrumentalization of music is again visible. Though economic imperialism in the Ottoman Empire has been dealt with by many economic historians, however, German cultural imperialism in the Ottoman Empire is underresearched. In order to fulfill this gap and challenge the conventional historiography regarding the position of the Ottoman Empire in terms of the German cultural imperialism, through the case of the German club in Ġstanbul, called the Teutonia, which was founded in 1847, German cultural imperialism in the Ottoman Empire will be discussed in details. Reading between the lines, this case study will prove how music had been instrumentalized for the political, cultural and social agendas of not only Germany, but also of the Ottoman Empire.|Keywords: instrumentalization of music, Western Classical Music in the Ottoman Empire, German cultural imperialism, the Teutonia.
The urban development of Istanbul in the nineteenth century: The role of expropriations
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) İbidan, Zuhal.; Terzibaşoğlu, Yücel.
This thesis examines the expropriation activities which were the most important tools for the government in the process of reconstruction implemented in Istanbul in the nineteenth century. The information in this thesis is generally based on the Ottoman archival records. In addition to this, some newspapers like Takvîm-i Vakayi’, Basîret and Tasvîr–i Efkâr and secondary sources were used. In the thesis, questions such as, what the purpose of this reconstruction plan and expropriations was, in which places of the capital city the plans were applied, by whom and how these plans were applied have been answered. Also addressed were issues such as what the government was aiming at by these expropriations and reconstruction plans, what was gained and how the public reacted towards these novelties. This thesis argues that the urban development which is at the intersection of centralization and modernization, and the concept of modern expropriation was a consequence of the change in the perspective and the understanding of the Ottoman government. Additionally, in the thesis, while the concept of modern expropriation is being evaluated in relation to the transformation in the governmental and legal mentality, the economic and social aspects of the expropriations are also emphasized. Other reconstruction processes occurring in other cities in the Ottoman Empire and other European cities which were taken as models in the reconstruction process of the capital city were investigated and documented here for the sake of approaching the expropriations from a comparative angle.
Between theatrical politics and political theater: Late Ottoman theatrical spheres
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Süloş, Melis.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,
This thesis intends to perceive theater as one of the best stages representing the political tensions, and the intellectual movements of its epoch. In rethinking theater and politics in the late Ottoman Empire, I focused on two fields: Theatricality of the political sphere and the political theater. In the light of the memoirs, newspapers, travel accounts and the play scripts, this thesis scrutinizes the discovery and the manipulation of the popular theater as a political institution. By focusing on the politicization of the theater, which developed within the palatial circles, and the politicization of the repertoire after the Revolution of 1908 in the popular realm, this study examines the instrumentalization of the theater for different political agendas. The first part of the thesis examines the recent historiographical currents that brought history, anthropology and literature closer. The subsequent chapter is a brief discussion of the Ottoman theater historiography. The third part situates theater within the Ottoman 'Westernization' experience. The following chapter scrutinizes the politicization of the theater by the Young Ottomans through the Vatan and Gedikpaşa Incidents. The fifth part discusses the transformation of the theater performances into 'public catharses' with the proclamation of the Second Constitution. And the last chapter scrutinizes the politicization of the repertoire with the newly emerged genre of milli facia, putting the old regime on trial.
Alliance Israelite Universelle Schools within the existing school networks in the Ottoman Empire
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Şar, Onur.; Karakışla, Yavuz Selim,
This thesis examines the different schooling networks which were active in the Ottoman territories throughout the nineteenth century, with a specific focus upon the schools which were established by the Alliance Israélite Universelle. Highly influenced by the ideas of French Revolution and modernization, the organization which was instituted by a number of French Jews, inaugurated several schools for Ottoman Jewish communities at several localities. The primary aim of the association was to help oriental Jews to become like their European brothers. Their schools within Ottoman boundaries, thus, used to offer instruction with such a perspective. The aim of this thesis is realized through a number of primary and secondary sources, but its main contribution has been the integration of Ottoman archival materials into the topic. Together with other primary and secondary source materials, by the way of comparison, it was concluded that although Alliance schools may be labeled as foreign institutions on the basis of the fact that they were not under the jurisprudence of Ottoman Chief Rabbinate, in fact they differ from foreign schools in many ways. Furthermore, when the motive of establishment of foreign schools is taken into consideration, Alliance schools can be located in a limbo-like position between the schools established by foreign organizations and the community schools, which were under jurisprudence of millet başıs.|Keywords: Ottoman Empire, history of education, Alliance Israélite Universelle, schools, foreign schools, missionary schools, the nineteenth century
History of identification in the Ottoman lands: From the security of the person to the security of the state: Implementation of Mürur Tezkeresi in the nineteenth century
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Samastı, Fatmanur.; Toksöz, Meltem.; Faroqhi, Suraiya,
The subject of this study is the analysis of the implementations about the control of mobility within the Ottoman lands with regard to the discussions and theories about state formation and similar practices in the world and in the history of the Ottoman Empire. In this thesis, I focus on the implementation of mürur tezkeresi/travel permit, which was sort of an internal passport and which was stated to be compulsory for traveling within the Ottoman lands throughout the nineteenth century. Based on my investigations in the archival documents including general regulations and specific orders, and considering the literature on the issue, it is understood that, the implementation was not successful in preventing the migrations or controlling every step of the subjects. This fact made me question the mentality behind these implementations which lasted during a whole century. I was inspired by the arguments about identification practices in different places in the world, especially in Europe, through different tools one of which is the control of mobility via passports and internal passports. Also theories about the new regulations in the Ottoman lands after Tanzimat edict fostered my inquiry. Firstly, I try to show the background of the implementations about control of mobility in the Ottoman lands and discuss the mentality and motivation behind these. I continue with the theoretical and informational discussions about identification practices and mobility control in the European context. In addition to the literature review about the control of mobility in the Ottoman lands and in different contexts, dealing with the Ottoman reform arguments focusing mostly on the Tanzimat period and presenting two examples of approaching reform from the history of Egypt has provided me with a springboard to accurately approach the mentality behind the application of internal travel permits in the nineteenth century Ottoman lands. By means of these investigations, this study offers a re-evaluation of the implementation of control of movement to see the transformation of the mentality through a social historical reading of the period and to have an access to the minds of rulers in the nineteenth century Ottoman state.
"Staying away from politics, not foreseeing militarism": The case of corps of Greek scouts in Armistice Istanbul, 1918-1923
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Aslanoğlu, Anna Maria.; Kechriotis, Evangelos.
The core of this study deals with the reflection and attribution of nineteenth century values of modernity, Enlightenment and nation-building, to childhood and adolescence, with the aim of bringing up proper citizens of the nation. Within this ground of analyzing the relation between youth and mainstream politics, this study is focused on the raison dJ8tre of a particular youth organization, the Corps of Greek Scouts, and their activities during the post World War I years, where Istanbul was experiencing Allied occupation. i This thesis aims to contribute to the historiography of this particular period by I analyzing the mentioned youth organization within the scope of its European counterparts flourishing in the second decade of the twentieth century. The Corps of Greek Scouts of Constantinople, established with the signing of the Armistice, had been spread along and become popular among the Rum population, most of which was closely attached to Greek nationalism and Venizelism. The organic relations between the High Commission of Greece, the Corps of Greek Scouts and the local elites of the Rum community created an atmosphere of building the 'Hellenic' identity which was attributed to the 'unredeemed' Greeks of Istanbul. Thus, the Corps of Greek Scouts acted as a pedagogical organization educating and mobilizing youth, with the aim of preparing a disciplined, obedient, physically strong and fit, self-sufficient, ready, civilized and masculine citizen-soldiers of the future. This indoctrination became visible for the 'occupied' city with thepevformativity of the whole movement. This is how it was reflected as well in the official Turkish historiography, where the non-muslim populations were named as 'traitors'.
Celebrating difference: "Turkish Theatre" in the Chicago World’s Columbian exposition of 1893
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Sarıkaya, Cafer.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,
This thesis examines Turkish Theatre and its performances during the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Methodologically, the research adopts two primary sources, the Turkish Theatre: Souvenir Programme, and Musavver Şikago Sergisi, and also published memoirs of observers who witnessed the Exposition. The thesis attempts to provide an overview of recent research on the analysis of the world’s fairs, where both theatricality of the overall event, and the accompanying Orientalist gaze have been analyzed. Given the fact that international exhibitions provided a certain architectural and theatrical representation capacity for the Orient, the thesis attempts to understand how “Turkish Theatre” had been conceptualized for this event. Architecture provided an authentic setting and a visual summary of the represented culture displaying mosques, baths, caravanserais, cafés, houses and shops in a compact “pavilion”, where the presentation of everyday life was displayed through theatricality, dramatization of artisanship, display of regional and national costumes and of performances of theatre, ethnic music and local dances. The Turkish Theatre was directed by Pierre Butros Antonius, a Christian Arab from Mount Lebanon. There were 65 actors and actresses in total and 20 stockholders in the Ottoman theatre, all gathered by agents sent to different parts of the Empire to study the customs, manners and costumes and to engage these players from different cities of the Ottoman lands. The performers were presenting their shows to the American audience in the Arabic language with simultaneous English translations. The Turkish Theatre performances included the plays of the Kurdish Drama, the Kalamounic Drama, True Manhood, An Oriental Wedding in Damascus, the Drama of Antar the Son of Sheddad, the Drama of Haroun Al-Raschid, the Turkish Bride and the Prodigal Son. The spectators could understand these plays unlike the other theatre plays of the Eastern countries, such as the Chinese and Javanese theatres which were held only in the native languages. Based on published reviews and memoirs, the thesis attempts to historically visualize this unique Ottoman experience at the turn of the nineteenth century.

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