AN ANALYSIS OF THE POLITICAL SYMBOLISM OF THE PERIOD OF ABDULHAMID II IN THE LIGHT OF THE EXPRESSIONS USED IN THE MALUMAT NEWSPAPER BETWEEN 1898-1901

Abstract

As a result of the national rebellions, which were the most important effects of the French Revolution, the existence of monarchies that had continued their existence with the power they received from God until that day, came under threat in the 19th century. In this context, some monarchs in the said century resorted to political symbolism tools that would further strengthen their existence in the eyes of society. In this study, the traces of this attitude, which was also seen in monarchies such as England and Russia, will be examined within the framework of the sovereignty area of Abdulhamid II, one of the last sultans of the Ottoman Empire, covering three continents. The source of the study is the archive information of the Malumat newspaper, one of the leading publications of the period, which was examined in a way that covers the years 1898-1901. In these archive sources, data on the political visibility of Abdülhamit II, supported by concepts such as the caliphate, especially the Pan-Islamist policy, were compiled and in this context, various traces of the political symbolism constructed by Abdülhamit II in the Ottoman geography were encountered in 40 different newspaper issues of Malumat. In this context, these information obtained will be discussed under three main headings: symbolism within the context of discourse language, symbolism within the context of visual tools such as flags and coats of arms, and symbolism coming to life within the framework of official ceremonies.

Keywords

• Political symbolism
• Monarchy
• Abdulhamid II
• Symbolism
• Press.

1898-1901 YILLARI ARASINDA MALUMAT GAZETESİNDE KULLANILAN İFADELER IŞIĞINDA II. ABDÜLHAMİT DÖNEMİ SİYASİ SEMBOLİZMİNE DAİR BİR İNCELEME

Abstract

Fransız Devrimi’nin etkilerinden en önemlisi olan ulus isyanları neticesinde, 19. yüzyılda, o güne kadar varlığını Tanrıdan aldığı güçle sürdüren monarşilerin varlığı tehdit edilir hale gelmiştir. Bu bağlamda, söz konusu yüzyılda kimi monarklar, varlıklarını toplum nezdinde daha da güçlendirecek siyasal sembolizm araçlarına başvurmuşlardır. Bu çalışmada, İngiltere, Rusya gibi monarşilerde de görülen bu tutumun izleri, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun son padişahlarından olan II. Abdülhamit’in, üç kıtayı kapsayan hükümranlık alanı çerçevesinde irdelenecektir. Çalışmanın kaynağı, dönemin önde gelen yayın organlarından olan Malumat gazetesinin 1898-1901 yıllarını kapsayacak şekilde incelendiği, arşiv bilgileridir. Bu arşiv kaynaklarında, II. Abdülhamit’in Pan-İslamcılık politikası başta olmak üzere, hilafet gibi kavramlarla da desteklenmiş olan siyasal görünürlüğüne dair veriler derlenmiş ve bu bağlamda, Malumat’ın 40 farklı gazete sayısında, II. Abdülhamit’in Osmanlı coğrafyasında inşa etmiş olduğu siyasal sembolizmin çeşitli izlerine rastlanmıştır. Bu bağlamda, elde edilen bu bilgiler; söylem dili kapsamında sembolizm, sancak & arma gibi görsel araçlar kapsamında sembolizm ve resmi törenler çerçevesinde hayat bulan sembolizm olarak üç temel başlık altında ele alınacaktır.

Keywords

• Siyasal sembolizm
• Monarşi
• II. Abdülhamit
• Sembolizm
• Basın.

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