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1 – 10 of 965Lars Mjøset, Roel Meijer, Nils Butenschøn and Kristian Berg Harpviken
This study employs Stein Rokkan's methodological approach to analyse state formation in the Greater Middle East. It develops a conceptual framework distinguishing colonial…
Abstract
This study employs Stein Rokkan's methodological approach to analyse state formation in the Greater Middle East. It develops a conceptual framework distinguishing colonial, populist and democratic pacts, suitable for analysis of state formation and nation-building through to the present period. The framework relies on historical institutionalism. The methodology, however, is Rokkan's. The initial conceptual analysis also specifies differences between European and the Middle Eastern state formation processes. It is followed by a brief and selective discussion of historical preconditions. Next, the method of plotting singular cases into conceptual-typological maps is applied to 20 cases in the Greater Middle East (including Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey). For reasons of space, the empirical analysis is limited to the colonial period (1870s to the end of World War 1). Three typologies are combined into one conceptual-typological map of this period. The vertical left-hand axis provides a composite typology that clarifies cultural-territorial preconditions. The horizontal axis specifies transformations of the region's agrarian class structures since the mid-19th century reforms. The right-hand vertical axis provides a four-layered typology of processes of external intervention. A final section presents selected comparative case reconstructions. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time such a Rokkan-style conceptual-typological map has been constructed for a non-European region.
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The traditional postcolonial focus on the modern and the European, and pre-modern and non-European empires has marginalized the study of empires like the Ottoman Empire whose…
Abstract
The traditional postcolonial focus on the modern and the European, and pre-modern and non-European empires has marginalized the study of empires like the Ottoman Empire whose temporal reign traversed the modern and pre-modern eras, and its geographical land mass covered parts of Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Asia Minor, the Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa. Here, I first place the three postcolonial corollaries of the prioritization of contemporary inequality, the determination of its historical origins, and the target of its eventual elimination in conversation with the Ottoman Empire. I then discuss and articulate the two ensuing criticisms concerning the role of Islam and the fluidity of identities in states and societies. I argue that epistemologically, postcolonial studies criticize the European representations of Islam, but do not take the next step of generating alternate knowledge by engaging in empirical studies of Islamic empires like the Ottoman Empire. Ontologically, postcolonial studies draw strict official and unofficial lines between the European colonizer and the non-European colonized, yet such a clear-cut divide does not hold in the case of the Ottoman Empire where the lines were much more nuanced and identities much more fluid. Still, I argue that contemporary studies on the Ottoman Empire productively intersect with the postcolonial approach in three research areas: the exploration of the agency of imperial subjects; the deconstruction of the imperial center; and the articulation of bases of imperial domination other than the conventional European “rule of colonial difference” strictly predicated on race. I conclude with a call for an analysis of Ottoman postcoloniality in comparison to others such as the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Persian, Chinese, Mughal, and Japanese that negotiated modernity in a similar manner with the explicit intent to generate knowledge not influenced by the Western European historical experience.
This paper examines the constitution and transformation of the political regime in the Ottoman Empire in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th century. It argues that our…
Abstract
This paper examines the constitution and transformation of the political regime in the Ottoman Empire in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th century. It argues that our understanding of the transitional stages between the end of empires and the formation of new states continues to be analytically underdeveloped, particularly in the context of Eastern/Southeastern Europe. Drawing on recent scholarship, which challenges the existing dichotomous empire-to-nation model and suggests furthering studies on the transition period, the paper offers a close-up look at the role of transnational ideologies played during the transition from empire-to-nation. It highlights the existence of a rather complex interplay between national and transnational ideologies. It argues that understanding the role of transnational ideologies allows us to attribute more agency to the political actors of the late Ottoman era, helping model the changes that happened in the state's legitimacy, the ideological transformations, and the political mobilization of the elites in this period. Focusing on the Ottoman case, it sheds insights on both Habsburg and Russian Empires, which exhibited similar characteristics at that time. It also illustrates the role that transnational ideologies played in all three cases.
Contextualizing its argument specifically into the role and impact of the traditional political culture on the process of modernization, this paper aims to examine the “culture…
Abstract
Purpose
Contextualizing its argument specifically into the role and impact of the traditional political culture on the process of modernization, this paper aims to examine the “culture matters” approach through the two‐century experience of the top‐down modernization of the Ottoman‐Turkish civilization in the realm of state‐labor relations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper makes a comparative analysis of the interplay between the state and craft associations in the Ottoman Empire, and then the state and labor organizations in contemporary Turkey in terms of the influence of the rules, norms and institutions transferred by the bureaucratic élites from Western Europe.
Findings
The paper concludes that a substantive democratic setting for the interplay of the state and labor organizations could not be built up without a self‐supportive political culture in view of the fact that the process of top‐down modernization/Europeanization in the Ottoman‐Turkish context has given rise to a never‐ending center‐periphery dichotomy between both inter‐class and intra‐class relationships.
Originality/value
The paper sheds light on the labor relations part of the Ottoman‐Turkish political culture and reveals its impact on the never‐ending top‐down modernization initiative.
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Selma Saraoui, Abdelghani Attar, Rahma Saraoui and Sonia Alili
The Ottoman cultural legacy in Algeria is made up of a diverse range of architectural structures. The Algerian government strategy in connection with the Ottoman old buildings is…
Abstract
Purpose
The Ottoman cultural legacy in Algeria is made up of a diverse range of architectural structures. The Algerian government strategy in connection with the Ottoman old buildings is to restore them into museums. This study will attempt to present a contrastive analysis between two old palaces being under restoration (refurbishment), and the goal is to propose a museum route by calculating the ambiance aimed at circulating the rooms by visitors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyzed the architectural components of the various entities by observing in situ and taking measurements for a single case study to get a sense of the results for the mid-season (spring and fall). The configuration was next evaluated by modeling the space syntax and combining it with a simulation of daylight luminance, for the period when the authors could not make measurements on-site. The ultimate goal is to combine these findings to suggest the ideal in-route for the future museum.
Findings
This research allowed the authors to propose a museum itinerary adapted to the new vocation of the palaces, which considers the daylight as an element of composition in the spaces of circulation.
Practical implications
The paper proposes solutions to a flow management problem encountered in several similar palaces converted into museums.
Social implications
The study aims to raise questions on the museum, and to preserve such heritage from neglect by giving it a new life more adapted to the needs of the Algerian society.
Originality/value
The authors believe that this contribution will be a creative solution for issues related to the operation of palaces that have been converted into museums.
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Sümeyye Gider and Zeynep Gül Ünal
The preventive health institutions were founded in Istanbul as a result of the Ottoman Empire's policy to fight epidemic diseases that affected all parts of the world in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The preventive health institutions were founded in Istanbul as a result of the Ottoman Empire's policy to fight epidemic diseases that affected all parts of the world in the nineteenth century. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical and current state of these heritage buildings.
Design/methodology/approach
Through the original documents, photographs and floor plans dating nineteenth and early twentieth century obtained from the Ottoman State Archives, historical development and architectural features of the buildings have been identified. And the original geographical locations of the buildings, especially the destroyed ones, are investigated by the historic maps. Plan and façade features, construction techniques are examined according to the information gained from the newspapers, journals and health annuals of the period.
Findings
This paper presents the findings of an MSc thesis conducted on the historical approach of preventive health institutions and preservation problems of the Pendik Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology. In the study, it has been examined that institutes in five different functions which were established after the foundation of the Quarantine Council in 1838 with parallel to the course of epidemics and scientific development in the West. In Istanbul, eight quarantine stations, three disinfection stations, one rabies laboratory, one vaccination institute and five bacteriology institutes have been documented. Some of these institutions fell out of use due to the loss of their original function and have been abandoned and demolished, some of them have survived with functional changes. The extant samples of these preventive health institutions are studied on the purpose of investigating their conditions of preservation.
Originality/value
Late Ottoman period preventive health institutions in Istanbul have been the subject of the researches within the field of medicine and science history to date. There is no study in Turkish and International literature discussing these institutions in terms of architecture. In the study these buildings have been thoroughly examined based on their architectural features and heritage values. The glass plate photographs of the Pendik Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, floor plans and some photographs of the other institutions which are obtained from Ottoman State Archives and newspapers of the period have been published for the first time in this paper.
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Edmond Manahasa, Ahsen Özsoy and Odeta Manahasa
The proposed definitional framework can be used to define housing typologies of cities in developing countries. It aims to define housing typologies in the capital city of…
Abstract
Purpose
The proposed definitional framework can be used to define housing typologies of cities in developing countries. It aims to define housing typologies in the capital city of Albania, Tirana, using the proposed hierarchical framework within the dynamics of four political periods: Ottoman, establishment, socialist and postsocialist.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a new definitional approach for the housing typologies through a hierarchical framework that defines the typologies based on their political period and legality statuses departing from the case of Tirana, which is featured by a heterogeneous context. Such context is characterized by uncontrollable urban development, making typology definition problematic. Furthermore, beyond the form, spatial and functional features, it presents their exterior distinctiveness as an innovative element. The methodology used in the study includes archival research, image documentation, spatial, functional and exterior distinctiveness analysis of housing typologies and exploration of housing form features in different political periods.
Findings
The study identifies urban formal housing typologies in Tirana detached houses, apartments, mass housing, social housing, gated communities, informal detached houses and housing with in/formal additions.
Originality/value
This definitional approach can be used to define housing typologies for cities featured by heterogeneous urban context.
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Apart from some minor powers that occupied Egypt, the major ones that occupied Egypt and altered the course of its history include the Ottoman Empire, France, and Britain. The…
Abstract
Apart from some minor powers that occupied Egypt, the major ones that occupied Egypt and altered the course of its history include the Ottoman Empire, France, and Britain. The imperial powers entered Egypt because of different motives and drivers. However, none of the reasons was directed at understanding the history of Egypt, the achievements of their past rulers, and crafting a better path for future prosperity from this understanding. They exploited the Egyptian resources, built their home economy, and left Egypt as an exporter of semi-finished goods and an importer of finished goods. Three primary motives were outstanding, among others. The first was to obtain revenue through the imposition of a tax, the second was to protect their home economy by having a continuous supply of raw materials and exportation of finished goods, and the third was to protect the strategic position of Egypt on the trade route to India and other raw material suppliers. Their reluctance to leave the country led to branding some nationalists as unfriendly and preference for those considered moderate nationalists who would be satisfied with superficial power. In contrast, the real power resided in the colonial lords. The imperialists were forced out, leaving a divided country stripped of its past glory. The book chapter discussed the occupation of the colonial lords and what they achieved. The conclusion was that Egypt was not better through its occupation by the colonial lords. The country lost its root in the past, which could have been the foundation for future prosperity.
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Ali Ergur, Sibel Yamak and Mustafa Özbilgin
In this study, we aim to understand how the relationship between state and business elites and underlying power dynamics develop in the face of neoliberalism and globalization in…
Abstract
In this study, we aim to understand how the relationship between state and business elites and underlying power dynamics develop in the face of neoliberalism and globalization in a state-dependent context. For this purpose, we draw on a qualitative research with in-depth interviews with elites from 65 companies which are ranked among the 500 largest Turkish firms by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry. Major contribution of this work is that we illustrate how globalization or internationalization provides a limited tool for business elites to escape the domination of the state in a state-dependent context. The only exceptions to this rule of state domination among business elites are the elites who hold double citizenships and whose initial investment background is in a foreign country. This exceptional group of elites enjoyed higher latitude of action in their interactions with the state. For the rest, state remains as an influential mechanism of coercive power to which elites are subjected. Last but not least, in spite of the connections between business growth and the state, the business elites are generally distrustful of politics and politicians and this mistrust is manifested in different ways. Overall, we illustrate the significance of the historical context and turning points in accounting for the changing nature of the relationship between elites and the state in Turkey.
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Despite the quantity of collaborations, the vocational network of the housing production in Ankara during its first five years (1923–1928) remains dispersed. The aim of this study…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the quantity of collaborations, the vocational network of the housing production in Ankara during its first five years (1923–1928) remains dispersed. The aim of this study is to identify all the actors of housing production and their collaborations which shaped Ankara's urban development as the new capital city.
Design/methodology/approach
The study engages with the literature and archival documents to identify the actors of the housing production, i.e. architects, master-builders, public institutions, private companies, contractors and entrepreneurs, and their resultant vocational network in the housing production in Ankara during 1923–1928.
Findings
Due to different agendas, such as speculation, financial interests or patriotism, the construction industry in Ankara had become an arena where many paths intersected, forming an intertwined vocational network. The profession of contractor became popular, and local architects, engineers and even individuals of various other professions began to work as mediators for foreign companies and public institutions, which required support especially in large-scale projects.
Originality/value
The dispersed information revealed that the actors of the housing production remained mostly anonymous, or only the famous architects were commemorated; however, others could be found within the lines of the established literature on Ankara and/or in archival documents. This research not only focuses on “salient” actors but also highlights the “silent” actors of the housing production and prepares charts to clarify the vocational network in Ankara during its first five years to contribute to the future studies on Ankara and its housing.
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