Why the Cormorant? A 19th-Century Ottoman Intellectual's Perspective on the Lexical History of Karabatak
Abstract
This article analyses the essay “Musahabe: Karabatak”, written by Balhasanoğlu and published in İkdam number 1723 dated on 24.04.1899, within the frame of critical discourse analysis from ecological, linguistic, and social perspectives. In the aforesaid essay, the author, about who no detailed information is available, mentions cormorant birds (Phalacrocoracidae) from a “utilitarian” point of view within the perspective of economic development. However, the essay in question touches upon the topics of both ornithology and nomenclature of birds and contains information in these fields. In this respect, the essay also has ornithological and lexicological value. This article claims to have a critical reading perspective on these aspects of the essay. The main topics of the article are how the birds are named in different languages within the political borders of today’s Turkey, ornithological cormorant records of the period, and the utilitarian evaluation of cormorants from an anthropocentric point of view.
References
- Ahmed Midhat. Sevda-yı Sa’y ü Amel. İstanbul: Kırkanbar, H. 1296.
- Ahmed Midhat. Kuşlar. İstanbul: Kırkanbar, H. 1306.
- Ahmed Vefik Paşa. Lehçe-yi Osmani. Dersaadet: Mahmud Bey Matbaası, H. 1306.
- Ali Seydi. Resimli Kamus-i Osmani. İstanbul: Kitaphane-yi Cihan, H. 1330.
- Dresser, H. E.. A History of the Birds of Europe: Including All teh Species Inhabiting the Western Palaearctic Region: Volume VI. Londra: H. E. Dresser, 1871-1872.
- Elwes, H. J. ve Buckley, T. A. “A List of the Birds of Turkey”. IBIS, 12(3), 1870.
- Evliya Çelebi. Günümüz Türkçesiyle Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnamesi: Akirman-Belgrad-Gelibolu-ManstırÖzü-Saraybosna-Slovenya-Tokat-Üsküp: 5. Kitap-1. Cilt. Düz. Seyit Ali Kahraman. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 2010.
- Greppin, John A. C. Classical and Middle Armenian Bird Names: A Linguistic, Taxonomic, and Mythological Study. New York: Caravan Books, 1978.
- Menevishean, Gabriel. Patkerazard Bnakan patmut’iwn: A. Kendanabanut’iwn. Viyana: Mkht’arean Tparan, 1897.
- Redhouse, W. James. Kitab-ı Mani-yi Lehçeü’l James Redhouseü’l İngilizi: A Turkish and English Lexicon. İstanbul: A. H. Boyajian, 1890.
- Smiles, Samuel. Self Help. Londra: John Murray, 1859.
- Şemseddin Sami. Kamus-i Türki: İkinci Cild. Dersaadet: İkdam, H. 1317.
- https://ozhanozturk.com/2017/08/28/karabatak-guguk-kusu/. Erişim tarihi: 10.10.2022.
“Başka Yazacak Şey mi Yok?”: 19. Yüzyıl Osmanlı Aydının Gözünden Karabatak ve Karabatağın Kısa Leksikolojik Tarihi
Abstract
Bu makale, İkdam gazetesinin 24.04.1899 tarihli 1723. sayısında yayımlanan Balhasanoğlu imzalı “Musahabe: Karabatak” adlı yazıyı ekolojik, linguistik ve sosyal açılardan eleştirel söylem analizine tabi tutmaktadır. Yazarı hakkında herhangi ayrıntılı bir bilgiye ulaşılamayan yazıda karabatak kuşları (Phalacrocoracidae) “faydacı” bir bakış açısıyla iktisadi kalkınma perspektifi içerisinde değerlendirilmektedir. Bununla birlikte söz konusu yazı hem kuşbilimi (ornitoloji) hem de kuşların adlandırılması (nomenclature) konu başlıklarına değinmekte ve bu alanlarda bilgiler de içermektedir. Bu açıdan yazının ornitolojik ve leksikolojik değeri de vardır. Bu makale, söz konusu yazının bu hususlarına dair eleştirel bir okuma perspektifini haiz olma iddiasındadır. Yazıya konu kuşların bugünkü Türkiye coğrafyasında farklı dillerde nasıl adlandırıldıkları, döneme ilişkin ornitolojik karabatak kayıtları ve karabatak kuşlarının insanmerkezci bir bakış açısından faydacılık çerçevesinde değerlendiriliyor oluşu makalenin temel konu başlıklarını oluşturmaktadır.
References
- Ahmed Midhat. Sevda-yı Sa’y ü Amel. İstanbul: Kırkanbar, H. 1296.
- Ahmed Midhat. Kuşlar. İstanbul: Kırkanbar, H. 1306.
- Ahmed Vefik Paşa. Lehçe-yi Osmani. Dersaadet: Mahmud Bey Matbaası, H. 1306.
- Ali Seydi. Resimli Kamus-i Osmani. İstanbul: Kitaphane-yi Cihan, H. 1330.
- Dresser, H. E.. A History of the Birds of Europe: Including All teh Species Inhabiting the Western Palaearctic Region: Volume VI. Londra: H. E. Dresser, 1871-1872.
- Elwes, H. J. ve Buckley, T. A. “A List of the Birds of Turkey”. IBIS, 12(3), 1870.
- Evliya Çelebi. Günümüz Türkçesiyle Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnamesi: Akirman-Belgrad-Gelibolu-ManstırÖzü-Saraybosna-Slovenya-Tokat-Üsküp: 5. Kitap-1. Cilt. Düz. Seyit Ali Kahraman. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 2010.
- Greppin, John A. C. Classical and Middle Armenian Bird Names: A Linguistic, Taxonomic, and Mythological Study. New York: Caravan Books, 1978.
- Menevishean, Gabriel. Patkerazard Bnakan patmut’iwn: A. Kendanabanut’iwn. Viyana: Mkht’arean Tparan, 1897.
- Redhouse, W. James. Kitab-ı Mani-yi Lehçeü’l James Redhouseü’l İngilizi: A Turkish and English Lexicon. İstanbul: A. H. Boyajian, 1890.
- Smiles, Samuel. Self Help. Londra: John Murray, 1859.
- Şemseddin Sami. Kamus-i Türki: İkinci Cild. Dersaadet: İkdam, H. 1317.
- https://ozhanozturk.com/2017/08/28/karabatak-guguk-kusu/. Erişim tarihi: 10.10.2022.
Details
| Primary Language | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Environmental History |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | December 31, 2024 |
| Submission Date | February 16, 2024 |
| Acceptance Date | May 16, 2024 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2024 Issue: 5 |
Cite
Greetings with Our Fifth Issue!
We are delighted to present the latest issue of Toplumsal Tarih Akademi journal. This issue marks the fifth since the journal began its journey in December 2022, but it stands out as the first to not center around a thematic dossier. It also represents our initial experience transitioning from editorial assistants to full editors of the journal. We ask for your forgiveness in advance for any shortcomings.
We extend our gratitude to our former editors, Yaşar Tolga Cora and Nurşen Gürboğa, who rapidly transformed the journal into one of the key publications of the History Foundation. We also thank the former President of the History Foundation and the journal’s former editor-in-chief, Mehmet Ö. Alkan, for his pioneering role in launching the journal. We are fully aware of the responsibility placed on our shoulders to carry the journal forward. With the support of our Editorial Board members and an expanding team of editors, we aim to fulfill this responsibility to the best of our ability.
At this point, we wish to thank our new section editors, who took on the responsibility of shaping the journal with us at the September 2024 Editorial Board meeting, marking the transition in the journal’s management. Our thanks go to Gülhan Balsoy and Cihangir Gündoğdu, who joined as book review editors, and Deniz Türker, who is now overseeing the document review section. We are immensely grateful for their energetic contributions to the process. While Nurşen Gürboğa has passed on the role of editor to us, she continues as the journal’s editor-in-chief. Her guidance and the bridges she builds with the History Foundation’s administration are invaluable to us. We also extend our gratitude to Emre Erkan, our Turkish language editor, who worked meticulously and swiftly to prepare articles for publication, and to our layout editor, Aşkın Yücel Seçkin, for her careful and prompt efforts. Our heartfelt thanks also go to our anonymous referees, the unseen heroes who guide our authors through their revisions.
Our decision to produce this issue with free-topic articles, coupled with changes in our management structure during the process, resulted in some delays. We are particularly grateful to our authors for their patience and understanding.
This issue features four research articles, three document reviews, four book reviews, and an obituary. Let us first introduce the research articles in our fifth issue. The first, authored by Nurhan Davutyan, is titled “The Ottoman Moratorium of 1875 could have been Prevented.” This study provides a fresh perspective on the developments leading to the establishment of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration, which violated the fiscal sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire. Drawing on extensive resources and statistical analysis, Davutyan argues that financial measures proposed by Mehmed Emin Ali Pasha in 1867 could have averted the moratorium if implemented earlier, rather than in 1879.
The second article is a collaborative work by Murat Tülek, Jean-François Pérouse, and Funda Ferhanoğlu, titled “Jacques Pervititch before 1922.” This detailed study focuses on the early life and career of Pervititch, a pivotal figure in Istanbul’s cartographic history, before he began creating insurance maps of the city. Rich with visual materials, including one featured on our cover, the article offers valuable insights into Pervititch’s family life, professional development, and early maps.
Our third research article, “Governing the Exception, Negotiating Justice: The Law of the Mountains, Feud Settlements, and Hybrid Punishments in Shkodra,” takes us to the Albanian lands of the late Ottoman period. In this study, Ebru Aykut examines Ottoman governance strategies amidst local mountain laws and centralization efforts. By applying Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality to a series of cases, the article sheds light on fascinating historical events in Shkodra, offering a rewarding read for our audience.
The fourth article bridges natural history and historical research. Titled ““Why the Cormorant?” A 19th-Century Ottoman Intellectual's Perspective on the Lexical History of Karabatak,” Tarkan Murat Akkaya analyzes an 1899 newspaper article on the cormorant bird. This engaging piece explores the origins of bird names, contributing a unique perspective to the field of nomenclature, specifically regarding the cormorant.
Under the editorial guidance of Deniz Türker, our document review section aims to draw attention to overlooked historical documents and present creative interpretations of them. Filiz Yazıcıoğlu’s study highlights the significance of petitions as sources, examining those written by a telegraph operator, Mehmet Tevfik Bey, during the reign of Abdul Hamid II. Mertkan Karaca reviews a 1909 article by Halil Edhem Bey, brother of Osman Hamdi Bey, shedding light on the history of the Imperial Museum, now the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Aysel Yıldız examines two letters that narrate the remarkable life of a Janissary, İbrahim Ben Ali, born in Istanbul in 1756, who endured captivity in Russia and eventually emigrated to the United States.
Our book review section, edited by Gülhan Balsoy and Cihangir Gündoğdu, features analyses of recent publications focusing on various periods of Ottoman and Republican history. Ekrem Yener reviews Ümit Kurt’s Kanun ve Nizam Dairesi’nde Soykırım Teknokratı Mustafa Reşat Mimaroğlu’nun İzinde Osmanlı’dan Cumhuriyet’e Devlet Mekanizması, while Melis Cankara critiques Uğur Zekeriya Peçe’s Island and Empire: How Civil War in Crete Mobilized the Ottoman World. Ayşe Hilal Uğurlu examines Ali Akyıldız’s Mabeyn-i Hümayun: Osmanlı Saray Teşkilatının Modernleşmesi, and Numan Deniz discusses Nir Shafir’s The Order and Disorder of Communication: Pamphlets and Polemics in Seventeenth-Century Ottoman Empire.
Finally, our obituary section commemorates historian, teacher, and writer Necdet Sakaoğlu, known for his work on local, urban, Seljuk, Ottoman, and educational history. Fahri Aral honors his memory with a heartfelt piece.
According to our Editorial Board's decision, the journal will now publish themed issues in June and open-call issues in December. We encourage you to follow the calls for papers announced on DergiPark and the History Foundation’s website. The deadline for submissions to our December 2025 issue is June 15, 2025, through the DergiPark system.
We value the development of social historiography and the creation of platforms for free and critical thought, especially for publishing high-quality Turkish articles. Toplumsal Tarih Akademi aims to combine the History Foundation’s long-standing tradition of critical publishing with the international standards of academic publishing. To this end, we are actively pursuing the indexing of our journal in national and international databases. Your constructive criticism and contributions are vital to us, and we eagerly await your feedback.
Enjoy reading and have a wonderful year ahead.
Editors of Toplumsal Tarih Akademi
Firuzan Melike Sümertaş & Sırrı Emrah Üçer