Notes on the Development of Turkish and Oriental Studies in the German Speaking Lands1

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the history of Turkish Studies in the institutional context of Oriental studies in the German-speaking lands since the beginning of the 19th century. It argues that the separation of Oriental studies from theology and its professionalization constituted a relatively slow process that was not complete until the 19th century. The academic institutionali- zation of Oriental studies remained comparatively weak. This is even more the case for Turkol- ogy and Turkish studies, which both remained largely tied to the framework of Oriental studies on both an institutional and personal level. This paper discusses the question of Orientalism in German Oriental studies and argues for the keeping of Oriental studies as a distinct cluster of disciplines within the current academic structure instead of dissolving them into specific area studies or attaching them to other related disciplines like history or sociology.

Keywords

• Turkish studies, Oriental studies, Germany, Austria, Orientalism