Paradigms in Modern Arab Historiography and the Ottoman Founding Generation in the Middle Eas

Abstract

The history of the former Ottoman lands has often been shaped under the influence of orientalist discourse and the political and ideological concerns of the 20th century nation-building process. This has led to the Ottoman period being outcast in modern Arab historiography. Particularly with respect to the Arabic lands, the political, cultural, and social history of the societies that lived together under the same administration for hundreds of years is not handled in a holistic manner, with a concerted effort to write a history as if the borders drawn by the mandators had previously existed. However, after World War I, the “Ottoman society” continued to live with the reflex of an imperial people for many years, with the bureaucrats, soldiers, and intellectuals of Arab origin having difficulty accepting the borders that were drawn. The last Ottoman generation not only shaped the Turkish Republic, but also actively worked as the founders of the Arab geography under the colonial conditions of the mandate period. In this study, firstly, the paradigms which shape modern Arab historiography, some of which are anachronistic and some of which are contrary to historical reality, will be discussed through some representative examples. After which, several recent works which represent different approaches about the Arabs of the last Ottoman generation, which show the problems of the aforementioned paradigms, will be briefly evaluated. © 2024, Istanbul 29 Mayis University - ISAM, TDV Centre for Islamic Studies. All rights reserved.