Introduction 3
while new approaches and methods of analysis are being applied while, at
the same time, scholars have been trying to put forth a new agenda for the
study of the topic.11 In addition to the recent dissertations by Hüseyin Yılmaz
and Heather L. Ferguson,12 senior scholars are also turning their attention to
this subject, which will arguably be one of the dominant themes of Ottoman
studies in the years to come. An emphasis on the legitimization of power has
prepared this trend somewhat,13 while Ottoman economic thought, argu-
ably a part of political theories and ideas, forms the subject of a very recent
book.14 Significantly, the Turkish journal Türkiye Araştırmaları Literatür Dergisi
(Bilim ve Sanat Vakfı, 2003) dedicated an issue to “Turkish political history”,
with special emphasis placed on political treatises (among the articles there-
in, one should note that by Hüseyin Yılmaz, which is a superb survey of the
state-of-the-field of the history of Ottoman political thought, its methodologi-
cal problems, and the agenda for future research).15 It must be stressed here
that MA and PhD theses completed in Turkish universities (and often unduly
overlooked by non-Turkish scholars) contain a remarkable wealth of material;
these not only edit and transcribe sources but also contain thematic studies.
Still, the state of the field is deplorably poor. Suffice it to say that the most
comprehensive survey of Ottoman political thought so far is to be found in
the work of a non-Ottomanist, namely Anthony Black, which contains short
sections on Ottoman political thought within its general framework (45 out
of 352 pages), based on second-hand sources (translations and secondary lit-
erature) and with a rather weak assessment of Ottoman ideas on the subject.
On the other hand, the most recent effort for a synthesis by an Ottomanist,
Linda T. Darling’s 2013 book, focuses only on the concept of justice, which
is followed from Ancient Mesopotamia to modern times (out of 212 pages,
no more than 40 concern the Ottoman Empire).16 As for Hüseyin Yılmaz’s
Caliphate Redefined: The Mystical Turn in Ottoman Political Thought, which is to
appear almost simultaneously with the present book (published by Princeton
11 Kafadar 2001; Ergene 2001; Yılmaz 2003a; Yılmaz 2003b; Howard 2007; Darling 2008; İnan
2009; Ferguson 2010.
12 Yılmaz 2005; Ferguson 2009.
13 See Karateke – Reinkowski 2005.
14 Ermiş 2014 (there was also the early attempt of Uğur 1995).
15 Yılmaz 2003b. The complete reference of the issue is Türkiye Araştırmaları Literatür
Dergisi, 1/2 (2003): Türk Siyaset Tarihi—Tanzimat’a kadar.
16 Black 2011; Darling 2013c. Uğur 2001 (cf. also Uğur 1995) is a monograph, but in fact it
contains little more than Levend 1962; cf. Douglas Howard’s review in Turkish Studies
Association Bulletin 13/2 (1989), 124–125.