The Emergence of Public Opinion : State and Society in the Late Ottoman Empire

Nineteenth-century Ottoman politics was filled with casual references to public opinion. Having been popularised as a term in the 1860s, the following decades witnessed a deluge of issues being brought into 'the tribune of public opinion'. Murat R. Şiviloğlu explains how this concept emerged, and how such an abstract phenomenon embedded itself so deeply into the political discourse that even sultans had to consider its power. Through looking at the bureaucratic and educational institutions of the time, this book offers an analysis of the society and culture of the Ottomans, as well as providing an interesting application of theoretical ideas concerning common political identity and public opinion. The result is a more balanced and nuanced understanding of public opinion as a whole. Nineteenth-century Ottoman politics was filled with casual references to public opinion. Having been popularised as a term in the 1860s, the following decades witnessed a deluge of issues being brought into 'the tribune of public opinion'. Murat R. Siviloglu explains how this concept emerged, and how such an abstract phenomenon embedded itself so deeply into the political discourse that even sultans had to consider its power. Through looking at the bureaucratic and educational institutions of the time, this book offers an analysis of the society and culture of the Ottomans, as well as providing an interesting application of theoretical ideas concerning common political identity and public opinion. The result is a more balanced and nuanced understanding of public opinion as a whole 01.0_pp_i_ii_The_Emergence_of_Public_Opinion 02.0_pp_iii_iii_The_Emergence_of_Public_Opinion 03.0_pp_iv_iv_Copyright_page 04.0_pp_v_v_Dedication 05.0_pp_vi_vi_Epigraph 06.0_pp_vii_vii_Contents 07.0_pp_viii_ix_Figures 08.0_pp_x_x_Note_on_Transliteration_Place_Names_and_Dates 09.0_pp_xi_xii_Acknowledgements 10.0_pp_1_22_Introduction 11.0_pp_23_71_Historical_Background 12.0_pp_72_109_A_Bureaucratic_Public_Sphere 13.0_pp_110_133_The_World_of_Ismail_Ferruh_Efendi 14.0_pp_134_173_The_Schooling_of_the_Public 15.0_pp_174_221_The_Emergence_of_a_Reading_Public_after_c_1860 16.0_pp_222_249_The_Turkish_Revolution 17.0_pp_250_254_Conclusion 18.0_pp_255_312_Bibliography 19.0_pp_313_320_Index The emergence of public opinion was perhaps the most important political transformation of the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth century, with such sweeping ramifications as the creation of a parliament. This book takes an integrated and comprehensive approach to this phenomenon, which has been hitherto considered a uniquely Western experience. Charts the Ottoman Empire's unique path to creating a realm of social life in which public opinion could be formed.