Ottoman travelers' perceptions of Africa in the Late Ottoman Empire (1860-1922)

A discussion of civilization, colonialism and race

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7338752
AutoresMustafa Serdar Palabıyık (0000-0001-5938-7017, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, autor correspondente)
Ano2012
Volume46
Páginas187-212
Data de publicação2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoNew Perspectives on Turkey (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0896-6346 • E-ISSN: 1305-3299
EditoraCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0896634600001552
OpenAlexW2496108746
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas9

The Ottoman encounter with European colonialism over their African territories during the nineteenth century contributed to a renewed interest in Africa and its inhabitants. This resulted in several official and non-official travels to this continent at the end of which the travelers published their memoirs. This article intends to analyze Ottoman perceptions of Africa in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by drawing upon Ottoman travelogues. It concludes that the travelers established paradoxical accounts regarding the implications of European colonialism for Africa and the ethnic taxonomy of the African people. They perceived European colonialism as a civilizing mechanism on the one hand, and treated it as the most significant reason of African “backwardness” on the other. Similarly, while they criticized the European colonial discourse based on the superiority of the white race over others, they established similar ethnic taxonomies establishing hierarchies among African tribes

Ancient history · Archaeology · Backwardness · Civilization · Colonialism · Economic growth · Ethnic group · Ethnology · Geography · Ottoman empire · Political science · Politics · Race (biology · Sociology · Gender Studies · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Travel Writing and Literature