Islam and the Age of Ottoman Reform

Bibliographic Data

ID4162607
AuthorsFrederick F Anscombe (Birkbeck, University of London, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume208
Issue1
Pages159-189
Publication date2010-08-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePast & Present (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-2746 • E-ISSN: 1477-464X
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/pastj/gtq007
OpenAlexW2136294014
LanguageEN
Citations received13

Although Ottoman rule was avowedly Islamic in ideology from its very inception, historians have tended to discount the importance of the religion for both state and population during the nineteenth century. Historical accounts of the era dwell upon plans to modernize the empire, which are often equated with an aspiration to westernize, and thus to secularize. Such narratives treat matters of faith that contradict the secularization theme as tainted subjects unworthy of serious study.1 Ottoman invocations of religion are frequently dismissed as ‘reactionary’ and ‘conservative’ (and therefore petty-minded), or as socially acceptable formulae that disguised other interests. Yet assumptions that Islam denoted ignorance or was little more than a tool for political posturing obscure the nature of reform by misconstruing the conflicting pressures driving change. From top to bottom of Muslim society, religion was not only a matter of belief but also vital to personal identity and sense of social order, and Muslims acted when they perceived threats to Islam’s well-being.

Ancient history · Archaeology · Islam · Library science · Political science · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Classics · Computer Science · History · Islamic Studies and History · Religion and Society Interactions

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