Course Content
This class provides an introduction to the study of Turkish intellectual history. The syllabus will contain both primary and secondary literature—readings both by and about Turkish intellectuals. The course approaches “intellectuals” in a broad sense, reflecting the contested and evolving nature of the term. Consequently, it will not only include intellectuals who have identified with the concept’s enlightenment roots—the novelists, poets, journalists and commentators who saw themselves as the vanguard of their country, and who sought to fashion it into a modern, secular and ethnically homogeneous nation-state—but also figures who have attempted to re-shape that ideal. We will also discuss so-called “specific intellectuals” whose thought was more embedded in quotidian affairs, and who thus contributed to making the ideas of the public intellectuals practicable. In the process, we will evaluate different theoretical approaches to intellectuals, from Shils and Gramsci to Foucault and Deleuze, in order to understand whether and how Turkish intellectuals matter.
Learning Outcomes
Students will gain familiarity with some of Turkey’s most important thinkers and learn to evaluate their impact on Turkish political, cultural, and legal life from the late Ottoman period until today. The syllabus will allow students with Turkish skills to acquire a stronger grasp on older and/or more specialized registers of the language. Students will also become familiar with some major theoretical approaches to the study of intellectuals.
Prerequisites
Some Turkish reading skills are necessary.