Geographical imagination in school geography during the late Otoman period, 1876-1908

Abstract

The aim of this study is to place the Ottoman geography education during the Hamidian period within the context of territoriality; that is, Abdulhamid II’s attempts to integrate all provinces of the empire into his own authority and to legitimize his power over these territories and people. During this period, geography education became an integral and inseparable part of public education. Geography courses were in the curricula of ibtidaiye, rüsdiye and idadiye schools. The content of these courses was determined and controlled by the Ministry of Public Education. The main sources of these courses were geography textbooks, maps and atlases, strictly inspected and monitored by inspection commissions within the ministry. These sources and materials not only reflected the official geographical imagination of the Hamidian state but also contributed to its formation and formulation as a result of the process of inspection and control by the state, in connection with conjunctural realities and conditions of the Ottoman Empire in the course of time. In this sense, the materials in question were not simple reflections or copies of geographical and cartographic studies produced in Europe; instead, they were adapted into Ottoman realities. In conclusion, these materials and geography courses were used in order to create a sense of imperial unity in the minds of students and to legitimize the sultan’s power.