Social Practice and Political Culture in the Turkish Republic

This volume collects the work of Michael E. Meeker on Turkish society. Meeker's research is based on field work he conducted in rural Turkey in the 1960s and then in Istanbul in the 1980s. Meeker's interest is in how Turkish social conventions imply structures of political authority. In Turkey, formal institutions and interpersonal association have a close relationship, something which dates back to Ottoman times. The first two sections are devoted to the Black Sea Turks in general and then the Black Sea district of Of. The third part is devoted to Meeker's writings on an Islamic resurgence in Turkey. The fourth and final part contains articles on political authority and interpersonal relationships in Turkey, past and present.‹

This volume records and describes the 483 Turkish manuscripts in the British Museum at the time of the author. Most of the manuscripts are in Western Turkish, and a few in Eastern. The material is helpfully categorized according to the area of particular concern to the manuscript. Various aspects of Islamic religious practice are covered by several manuscripts. Other general areas represented are history, sciences, the arts, philology, and poetry. The Eastern Turkish materials are given their own section. Each manuscript is meticulously described, and the volume contains useful indices of titles, personal names, and subjects. A must have for any Turkologist, this historic catalogue is once again available.

Preface TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Section One. The Black Sea Turks Section Two. Society and State in the District of Of Section Three. Writers and Writing of the Islamic Resurgence Section Four. Interpersonal Exchange and Political Authority