The Medieval Perception of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Benjamin of Tudela’s Travelogue

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 79 - 90, 26.06.2025

Hülya Taflı Düzgün , Şerife Güllüce

Abstract

Travelogues are narratives that provide insights into the lives, customs, and religions of different societies. They offer reflections on human interactions and cultural exchanges, helping to develop a comprehensive understanding of societies. Medieval travelogues, often based on personal observations, offer genuine portrayals of complex and diverse medieval societies. Edward Said argues that Western depictions of the East have historically been distorted and oversimplified to justify European dominance and imperialism. However, adapting Said’s perspective to the Middle Ages appears problematic. He emphasizes how the construction of the East as the Other in Western discourse has influenced the production of knowledge about the East. The main concern of this paper is to explore the concepts of self and other, as well as the medieval East and West, opposing Said's perspective. This paper aims to show that the binary oppositions of Orientalism are unfounded by analyzing the travelogue by Benjamin of Tudela, a medieval Jewish traveler. In other words, this paper explores how Benjamin’s Jewish identity shaped his perspective and how he embraces a tolerant view of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, challenging the East-West dichotomy.

Keywords

Middle Ages, Literature, Travelogue, Dichotomy

Tudelalı Benjamin'in Seyahatnamesinde Yahudilerin, Hristiyanların ve Müslümanların Orta Çağ'daki Algısı

Abstract

Seyahatnameler, farklı toplumların yaşamlarına, geleneklerine ve dinlerine dair içgörüler sunan anlatılardır. Seyahatnameler, insan etkileşimleri ve kültürel alışverişler üzerine düşünceler sunar ve farklı bir bakış açısı geliştirmeye yardımcı olur. Orta Çağ seyahatnameleri, genellikle kişisel gözlemlere dayanan, karmaşık ve çeşitli Orta Çağ toplumlarının gerçekçi tasvirlerini sunar. Edward Said, Batı'nın Doğu'yu tarihsel olarak çarpıttığını ve basitleştirdiğini, bunun da Avrupa'nın egemenliğini ve emperyalizmini haklı çıkarmak için yapıldığını savunmaktadır. Batı söyleminde Doğu'nun Diğer olarak inşa edilmesinin, Doğu hakkında bilgi üretimini nasıl etkilediğini vurgulamaktadır. Ancak Said’in bu bakış açısını Orta Çağ dönemine uyarlamak çok da mümkün görünmemektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, öz ve öteki kavramlarını, ayrıca Orta Çağ Doğu ve Batı’sını keşfetmek ve Said'in bakış açısına karşıt bir duruş sergilemektir. Bu makale, Orta Çağda yaşamış bir gezgin olan Benjamin of Tudela'nın seyahatnamesini analiz ederek, Oryantalizmin ikili karşıtlıklarının temelsiz olduğunu göstermeyi amaçlamaktadır. Başka bir deyişle, bu makale Benjamin'in Yahudi kimliğinin bakış açısını nasıl sınırladığını ve Doğu-Batı ikiliğine karşı Yahudilere, Hristiyanlara ve Müslümanlara karşı nasıl hoşgörülü bir bakış açısı benimsediğini incelemektedir.

Keywords

Orta Çağ, Edebiyat, Seyahatname, Dikotomi

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