01:013:324 Ottoman Africa

01:013:324 Ottoman Africa

Prof. E. Khayyat

Short description: This course surveys the cultural legacy of the Ottoman-Turkish rule in Africa. Tracing the history of Ottoman-African relations, it focuses on the nineteenth century, when radical political and cultural shifts took place in both Asia Minor and Africa. We compare this history and its cultural legacy with the history of Western-European colonialism in Africa. Readings include historical narratives, Ottoman-Turkish and African poetry, essays, and articles (in English or English translation).

Long description: From the early sixteenth century until its end, the Ottoman Empire was present in Africa, from Egypt to Algeria, Tunisia to Libya, with later contacts with South, East and West Africa. But in the second half of the nineteenth century the Ottoman presence in Africa assumed a form that it had never had before. Government buildings were erected, roads were paved. Accompanied by the Ottoman flag Ottoman missionaries began to travel from one African country to another to preach the true religion of Islam, reporting back to the Sublime Port about the need to colonize these lands. The Port commissioned books on colonialism to understand better what was to be done with the African lands to the south of Libya. Meanwhile, along with the Ottoman banners, it was the Caliph himself, simultaneously the Ottoman sultan, who became more and more visible across Africa through the novel iconography of the buildings, uniforms and flags. It is this particular transformation that raises a number of questions that we will address in this seminar. What is the difference between the forms of Ottoman presence in Africa before, during and after the nineteenth century colonial struggle for the natural resources of Africa, i.e. the Scramble for Africa? Can we compare these different forms of presence to European colonial presence in Africa? More significantly: What exactly is the relationship between religion and this colonial setting? And theoretically: What exactly is the relationship between the image (visibility, publicity, imperial iconography) and colonialism? While enabling us to unearth an Africa that has long been lost, i.e. the Ottoman Africa, addressing these questions will also make room for a fresh, critical engagement with some of the major issues of contemporary political thought.

Course Requirements:

You are expected to attend all scheduled classes, complete all assigned readings in a timely fashion (i.e. before the scheduled class) and participate in class discussion. Every unexcused absence will result in a %5 reduction of your Attendance and Participation grade. All students are required to give a mini-lecture. There will be an in-class midterm exam and an 8-10 page final paper due on the last day of classes. You must receive approval for your paper topics. We will adjust the syllabus during the course of the semester. All changes will be announced at least one week prior to date.

Grading:

Participation (20%)

Mid-term (20%)

Final paper (20%)

Final exam (40%)

Calendar

Introduction

Week 1:

C.R. Pennell, "The Ottoman Empire in North Arica"; Zakariah Zahra and Naima Bouhamnchouche, "The Arrival of Ottomans in Algeria"; Abderrehman Al-Moudden, "Some Remarks on Moroccon-Ottoman Relations in the 16th Century"

Week 2:

Bourdieu, "The Kabyle House or the World Reversed"

Week 3:

Hanioglu, A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire and Deringil, "The Ottomans and the Partition of Africa"

Week 4:

Selections from: Deringil, The Well-Protected Domains: Ideology and the Legitimation of Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1876-1909

Week 5:

Yahia Zoubir (ed.), North Africa: Politics, Region, and the Limits of Transformation

Week 6:

Deringil, The Well-Protected Domains: Ideology and the Legitimation of Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1876-1909 continued; “They Live in a State of Nomadism and Savagery: 'The Late Ottoman Empire and the Post-Colonial Debate'"; and Ussama Makdisi, “Corrupting the Sublime State”

Week 7:

B.G. Martin, "Ghuma bin Khalifa: A Libyan Rebel"

Murat Belge, "Genç Kalemler and Turkish Nationalism"

Engin Akarli, "The Defense of Libyan Provinces"

Week 8:

Film: Nacer Khemir, Bab'Aziz: The prince who contemplated his soul

Week 9:

Babavatan, The Understanding of Afrikâ-yi ‘Osmânî in the Late Ottoman Empire: The Case of Zanzibar and Idris Bostan, "The Ottoman Empire and the Congo"

Week 10:

Selections from: McMeekin, The Berlin Baghdad Express

Hatem, Literature, Gender, and Nation-building in Nineteenth-century Egypt, the Life and Works of Aisha Taymur

Week 11:

F.A.K. Yaseemee, "The Ottoman Empire, The Sudan, and the Red Sea Coast"

Farah, The Sultan's Yemen: Nineteenth-Century Challenges to Ottoman Rule and Messick, The Calligraphic State

Nadifa Mohamed, Black Mamba Boy

Conclusion