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Europe Knows Nothing about the Orient – A Critical Discourse (1872–1932)

Challenging Western Perceptions of the East

Zeynep Çelik author Aron Aji author Gregory Key author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Koc University Press

Published:6th Aug '21

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Europe Knows Nothing about the Orient – A Critical Discourse (1872–1932) cover

This book examines a critical discourse in the Ottoman Empire that challenged Western stereotypes about the East, particularly from 1872 to 1932.

In Europe Knows Nothing about the Orient – A Critical Discourse (1872–1932), Zeynep Çelik explores a significant yet often overlooked chapter in the intellectual history of the Ottoman Empire. This period, predating Edward Said's seminal work Orientalism, saw a vibrant discourse among Ottoman and early Turkish Republican thinkers who challenged the Western narratives that misrepresented the East. Çelik emphasizes how these intellectuals, deeply engaged with European culture and politics, sought to dismantle stereotypes and misconceptions that had long persisted in Western representations of the Orient.

The book delves into the ideological motivations driving these thinkers, who were not only reacting to Western depictions but were also crafting their own identities in the face of colonialism and modernity. By examining a rich array of primary texts from this era, Çelik curates a compelling narrative that highlights the complexity of the debates surrounding Eastern identity and representation. This critical examination not only sheds light on the intellectual landscape of the time but also invites contemporary readers to reconsider the dynamics of East-West relations.

Through her meticulous research, Çelik recontextualizes Eurocentric postcolonial studies, offering fresh insights into the ways in which the East has been perceived and portrayed. Europe Knows Nothing about the Orient – A Critical Discourse (1872–1932) is an essential read for anyone interested in the intersections of culture, politics, and identity in the modern world, as it reveals the rich intellectual heritage that challenges simplistic narratives about the Orient.

"Compelling in its scope and content. . . . The insightfully selected and efficiently translated texts in this volume bear witness to the emergence and entrenchment of European Orientalism from the perspective of its subjects. . . . Europe Knows Nothing about the Orient is an invitation to finally begin investigating Orientalism from the other side, from the perspective of the 'Orientals,' with all the attendant complexities and contradictions." * Los Angeles Review of Books *
"Essential reading. Magisterial and erudite, with an introduction that will be a guide to scholars for generations to come, this volume will change the way we think about history. It reveals a worldly, intellectual, cosmopolitan late-Ottoman world, one engaged both in 'projects of modernity' and in sharp critical assessment of the assumptions of European scholars regarding the ‘Orient.’ It thus has the effect of both contesting Orientalist theorists of the nineteenth century as well as disrupting those of the twenty-first, who tend to locate the enterprise of theoretical salvation of the Orient in the realm of Euro-American intellectual thought." -- Jerrilynn Dodds, Harlequin Adair Dammann Professor of Islamic Studies, Sarah Lawrence College
"Çelik introduces readers to how Ottoman and Turkish journalists, thinkers, novelists, and poets responded to Orientalist fantasies about the East, specifically about the Ottoman Empire and Turkey. Since Edward Said’s germinal work defined Orientalism as a key technique of imperialism, few studies have considered local expressions of resistance to it. Çelik’s masterful volume brilliantly curates excellent translations of stories, articles, and comments from Turkish language—themselves symptomatic for signifying imperial and nationalist dreams. Beyond providing primary sources from the ‘Ottoman East’ that add nuance to understandings of Orientalism as merely imposed upon unsuspecting and compliant subjects, the texts Çelik explores offer fascinating reading, displaying the richness and vigor of intellectual debates about Western cultural hegemony in late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic. The work will contribute to understandings of Orientalism as a site of dialogue among intellectuals, and it will take its place on the bookshelves of all those who teach and research in the field." -- Selim S. Kuru, University of Washington

ISBN: 9786057685353

Dimensions: 239mm x 166mm x 16mm

Weight: 402g

256 pages