On a. Fitrat's Turkestan Reform Project Inspired by the Second Constitutional Era

Ersahin S.

BILIG, cilt.47, sa.47, ss.21-44, 2008 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 47 Sayı: 47
  • Basım Tarihi: 2008
  • Dergi Adı: BILIG
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.21-44
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Fitrat, The Second Constitutional Era, Bukhara, The Jadid movement, reform, Islam, Turkestan
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Fitrat, the most important thinker of the Jadid movement of Turkestan, was among the first group of students sent to Turkey to acquire a modern education. During his stay in Istanbul Fitrat was immersed in nationalist and reformist ideas. It was also in Istanbul that Fitrat wrote some of his most influential books, such as Munazara (Debate); Bayanat-i Sayyah-i Hindi (Tales of an Indian Traveler) and Rahbar-i Najat (The Guide to Salvation). In these works Fitrat probed the causes of spiritual and material decay in his society. He found the causes of stagnation in the way Islam, once dynamic and unified, had become backward and divisive through excessive institutionalization under the clergy. He saw the way forward in adapting aspects of modern culture to the base of Islamic society and above all in educating the masses. He also devoted a significant part of his studies to the problem of reforming the schools. This article looks into Fitrat's reform project for Turkestan, focusing on his efforts of reconciling the civilization of Islam with a variety of European concepts and values.