East Encounters West: France and the Ottoman Empire in the Eighteenth Century (Studies in Middle Eastern History)

207 Pages·1987·12.98 MB·English

by  Fatma Muge Gocek

East Encounters West
STUDIES IN MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY
Bernard Lewis, Itamar Rabinovich, and Roger Savory,
General Editors
Israel Gershoni and James P. Jankowski
EGYPT, ISLAM, AND THE ARABS
The Search for Egyptian Nationhood, 1900–1930
Ami Ayalon
LANGUAGE AND CHANGE
IN THE ARAB MIDDLE EAST
Fatma Miige Gogek
EAST ENCOUNTERS WEST
France and the Ottoman Empire
in the Eighteenth Century
Other Volumes Are in Preparation
EAST
ENCOUNTERS
WEST
France and the Ottoman Empire
in the Eighteenth Century
FATMA MÜGE GÖEK
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
In cooperation with
The Institute of Turkish Studies, Inc.,
Washington, D.C.
1987
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York Toronto
Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi
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and associated companies in
Beirut Berlin Ibadan Nicosia
Copyright © 1987 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Göçek, Fatma Mϋge.
East encounters West.
(Studies in Middle Eastern history)
Bibliography: p. Includes index.
1. Turkey—Civilization—French influences. 2. Turkey—Civilization—
Occidental influences. 3. Turkey—Diplomatic and consular service—
France—History—18th century. I. Title.
II. Series: Studies in Middle Eastern history (New York, N.Y.)
DR432.G57 1987 956.1'01 86-23727
ISBN 0-19-504826-1
135798642
Printed in the United States of America
To my parents
Gϋlsen and Muzaffer Göçek,
with gratitude
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PREFACE
Books evolve from the experiences of their authors. I can trace the idea for
this book to my undergraduate years in Turkey during the 1970s when that
country was trying to come to terms with social unrest. This unrest alerted me
to the tension between the Eastern and Western civilizations in Turkey and as
I explored this tension and tried to get to its roots, I found myself absorbed
more and more in Ottoman history. Using an Ottoman embassy account to
Paris in 1720–1721 as my starting point, I tried to understand the process by
which the West influenced the Ottoman Empire throughout the eighteenth
century.
My primary scholarly debt is to Bernard Lewis. Had it not been for his
constant attentiveness to my work, his thorough critique, and his continuous
support and encouragement, I would not have been able to develop this work
into a book. I am also indebted, for their invaluable comments on earlier
versions of this book, to Halil Inalcik, Heath Lowry, Gilles Veinstein on
Ottoman history, Said Arjomand, Judith Herrin, Charles Issawi on historical
analysis, Suzanne Keller, Robert Leibman, and Gilbert Rozman on social
analysis, and Robert Palmer on French history. I would also like to thank
Amy Singer who gave the manuscript a thorough reading.
I must express my appreciation to the students and teachers of the Near
Eastern Studies and Sociology Departments of Princeton University from
whose questions and comments I derived much benefit. I also learned from
the comments I received during the two talks I gave on the Ottoman embassy
account, one at the Third International Congress of the Social and Economic
History of Turkey at Princeton in 1983, and the other at the Sadberk Hanim
Mϋzesi in Istanbul in 1985. Needless to say, although all those from whom I
have benefited account for much that is valuable in this book, I alone am
responsible for any of its shortcomings.
VIII PREFACE
Most of the illustrations in the book are from the Topkapi Museum Library;
I would like to thank the Library director Filiz Çağman who was most suppor-
tive during my research in Istanbul. The Bibliothèque Nationale, especially
Mileva Bozič, and the French museums were most cooperative in providing
the French illustrations.
Finally, I owe an immeasurable debt of thanks to my husband Charles
Hammerslough who helped me type, read my chapters, and was there when I
needed him.
Princeton F.M.G.
October 1986
CONTENTS
Illustrations, xi
Note on Transcription and Pronunciation, xiii
PART I
Interaction Between Two Societies Through an Embassy
Introduction, 3
1. Initiation of the Embassy and the Voyage, 7
2. The Cultural Interaction, 24
3. The Return, 62
4. The Impact of the Embassy, 72
PART II
Factors Affecting the Interaction and the Western Impact
5. Comparison of Three Ottoman Embassies, 85
PART III
Factors Affecting the Spread of Western Impact in Ottoman Society
6. Commerce, 97
7. Technology, 103
8. Social Groups in Ottoman Society, 116
9. Conclusion, 136