İslam şehrine bakışta kavramsal dönüşümler, bilgi üretiminin seyri ve gelişen araştırma ufukları

Abstract

İslam şehri üzerine bilgi üretiminin seyrini analiz etmeyi amaçlayan bu araştırmada, erken dönemden bu yana üretilen akademik müktesebata temas edilerek yaşanan kırılma noktaları, kavramsal dönüşümler ve genişlemekte olan araştırma ufukları incelendi. İslam şehrini kuramsallaştırmaya yönelik denemelerin yapıldığı 19.yy. sonundan 20. yy.’ın ilk yarısına kadarki dönemde çalışmalar çoğunlukla Avrupalı araştırmacılar ve sundukları şarkiyatçı çerçeveye bağlı kalınarak çoğaldı. 20.yy’ın ikinci yarısından itibaren yaşanan teknolojik gelişmeler, artan hareketlilik ve küreselleşme, yeni araştırmacıların alana girmesine yol açtı ve bu durum kavramın anlam çerçevesini revizyonist bakışlarla çeşitlendirerek önemli ölçüde değiştirdi. Özellikle 70’lerden sonra Müslüman araştırmacıların kendi epistemolojik yaklaşımlarıyla değerlendirmesinin bir sonucu olarak İslam şehri, kökenlere bağlı bir kuramsal çerçevede yeniden inşa edilmeye başladı. 21.yy’a gelinirken kaynakların yeniden keşfedilmesi, araştırmacıları destekleyen kurum, kuruluş, ödül ve sponsorlukların artması, interdisipliner çalışmaların teşviki ile akademik alanda ivme katedildi ve araştırma sınırları önemli ölçüde genişledi. 2000’lerden sonra özellikle coğrafya, antropoloji, sosyoloji, kültürel çalışmalar gibi alanlarda artan saha araştırmaları ve mekânsal dönüşün sunduğu postyapısalcı çerçeve; İslam şehrinin güç, iktidar ve üretim ilişkileriyle, siyasi ve ideolojik söylemlerle, gündelik hayat ve duygularla birlikte ele alınmasına zemin hazırladı.

Keywords

• İslam şehri
• İslam mimarlığı
• Şarkiyatçılık

Reframing the Islamic city: conceptual transformations, epistemic trajectories, and expanding research horizons

Abstract

This study analyzes the trajectory of knowledge production concerning the Islamic city by engaging with the existing academic corpus from the early period to the present. It traces the key conceptual transformations, epistemic ruptures, and the expanding research horizons over time. In the period extending from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, attempts to theorize the Islamic city were largely shaped by Orientalist frameworks developed by European scholars. However, the second half of the 20th century witnessed profound shifts driven by technological advances, increased mobility, and globalization, enabling a broader and more diverse range of scholars to enter the field. These developments significantly reshaped the conceptual boundaries of the Islamic city through revisionist perspectives. Particularly from the 1970s onward, Muslim scholars began reinterpreting the Islamic city through their own epistemological lenses, leading to the reconstruction of the concept within a framework grounded in its origins. Approaching the 21st century, a renewed interest in historical sources, the rise of institutional support (e.g., grants, awards, sponsorships), and the promotion of interdisciplinary research contributed to a significant academic momentum and broadened the scope of inquiry. Since the 2000s, increased fieldwork in disciplines such as geography, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies—along with the post-structuralist lens offered by the spatial turn—has fostered an understanding of the Islamic city that accounts for power relations, political and ideological discourses, everyday life, and affect.

Keywords

• islamic city
• islamic architecture
• orientalism

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