Abstract
Mohammed Sadiq, professor of Turkish studies at Jawa-harlal Nehru University JNU , is one of the leading scholars of Turkish history and currents of thought. His proficiency in Urdu, Hindi, English and Turkish, his working knowledge of Arabic and Persian, and his formal education, which includes graduate studies in Turkey, have contributed to his present standing as an outstanding academic with profound comprehension of and insight into the Turkish past. Educated at Aligarh Mus-lim University, where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, his Doctorate in Modern Turkish History was conferred by the Ankara University in 1964. After having stayed two extensive periods 1960-64, 1971-72 in Turkey, he became a lecturer at Aligarh 1964-1973 and then, professor at JNU 1973-present . His books are: Türkiye’de İkinci Meşrutiyet Devrinde Fikir Cereyanları Ph.D. dissertation in Turkish , The Turkish Revolution and the Indian Freedom Move-ment New Delhi: Macmillan, 1983 , and The Turkish Revolu-tion: A Perspective on Ideological Change in Turkey 1997 . The last-mentioned book, The Turkish Revolution, which is the subject of this review, deals, in the words of its preface, “with a historical phenomenon that valued the role of tradition yet came to symbolise change.” As author Mohammed Sadiq substantiates with the use of first-hand information, convincingly argued and eloquently expressed, the unique historical pheno-menon in question began by defending a heritage but swept it away, turning a revolt into a revolution. The revolution was the first of its kind in the Muslim world to oppose traditionalism, yet seeking its rationale within it. But there is a difference between inspiring and stimu-lating tradition and an inert and dispirited one. It is true that the “splendour of the past” never turned its back on the Turkish Revolution, the reforming élite renounced the way of well-ingrained but obsolete thinking in the Muslim world. Secularism, which Sadiq correctly describes as “the ideological mainstay” of the Turkish Revolution, was a singular phenomenon in the Muslim world. It is apparent that the Turkish Revolution broke the dogmatic shackles. But the revolution itself evolved in phases, the Young Turk legacy providing the intellectual setting. This legacy forms the philosophical framework for the subject of Sadiq’s book. A life-sketch of the revolutionary leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is followed by an assessment of the abolition of the Caliphate, which facilitated the development of Turkish secularism. The Caliphate which had served the Turks was also dear to the Muslim world. Secularism, on the other hand, though an ideological pillar of modern Turkey, was not intended to be the anti-thesis of religion. Religious outlook and secularism, each complementary to the other, form a significant part of the book. The Turkish Revolution, which originated in a liberation move-ment, did not spring from a well-defined ideology. The author reserves a chapter for the Kadro Cadre movement, which tried, even though going to extremes sometimes, to formulate such an ideology.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Book Reviews |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | March 1, 1998 |
| Published in Issue | Year 1998 Volume: 3 Issue: 1 |