The Evolution And Reconstruction Of Istanbul Urban Culture (1856-1938)

There were two great transformation of Istanbul since the modern times.The first transformation was that Istanbul accepted the Western civilization four hundred years after becoming the capital of Ottoman Empire.The second one was that its capital status was abandoned with the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.These two extraordinary transformations have reshaped the urban pattern,public space,citizen life and urban culture of Istanbul and its significance is far beyond the scope of common urban history research,reflecting the profound historical changes from the late Ottoman Empire to the early Republic of Turkey.In other words,the history of the decline and fall of the Empire and the establishment of the republic can be reflected or revealed by the evolution of Istanbul urban culture.It was after the end of the Crimean War(1856)that Istanbul began to absorb Western culture speedily and attracted large number of Europeans to come.From1856 to 1923,the city's changes were multifaceted,dynamic,and rich,involving different classes,industries,religious groups and cultural groups.These changes were the representation of the decline of the Ottoman Empire on one hand,and the result of the unremitting efforts of Turkish elites and Istanbul citizens to seek stability through changes and replace the old with the new culture on the other hand.The later secular reform implemented by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk can date back to the new culture,namely the Westernization of the late Ottoman Empire,and Istanbul is one of the most important witness.Therefore,the processes,influence and reactions of the Westernization and secularization process of Turkey can be clearly revealed through the evolution of Istanbul urban culture in two stages(1856-1923;1923-1938).To study the evolution of urban culture of Istanbul from an imperial city to a modern city,it is necessary to focus on this city's main characteristics and its multiple changes.The first change is its urban structure.Due to the foreign experts' re-planning,re-design,and reconstruction,the European-style buildings have emerged,and European-style carriages and horses can pass through wide avenues.In a short time,the city appearance was changed beyond recognition.The second change is the order of society.From the Sultan and the high-rank officials to the ordinary vendors,they all had changes in behavior,imitating the so-called Western,elegant,and civilized lifestyle,which shows a certain degree of their acceptance of Western culture.Soon or later,what followed will be the third change,which was the expansion of urban public space and the change of social atmosphere.In addition to the original imperial palaces,solemn mosques and noisy bazaars in Istanbul,the Western public spaces like public baths,coffeehouses,tea houses,newspaper office,concert halls,clubs,squares,and parks were established and expanded rapidly.As a result,the daily habits,customs,ostentation preferences,entertainment and pastimes of the citizens of Istanbul have all changed.This correspondingly affects their level of appreciation,as well as values and thinking patterns.The changes of the general mood of society are also reflected in other aspects,such as the Istanbul people's diversification of career choices,the simplification of their weddings,funerals and other etiquette.Youngsters started to pay attention to dress and fashion.Parents sent their children to Western-style schools for education.People favored to go to clubs,coffeehouses and other public places.Correspondingly,the mode of doing business had to be adjusted,the awareness of social service has been promoted and the popular discourses has emerged endlessly.All of these showed that the urban culture of Istanbul was changing from outside to inside,and from macro to micro aspects.Therefore,the macro-generalization and micro-research methods will be applied in this study.As the capital of Ottoman Empire and the largest city in the Republic,Istanbul has obvious radiation and demonstration effects towards the whole area.Studying the evolution and reshaping of Istanbul's urban culture needs to touch on the issues of Westernization,modernization,and secularization in Turkish history.Based on the above-mentioned analysis,the thesis has three main conclusions.Firstly,no matter how turbulent for Turkey to achieve the transition from the monarchy to the republic,the normal development of Istanbul's urban culture has not been interrupted,still representing a multicultural carrier as other global metropolis.Secondly,regardless of the overall degree of modernization of Turkey,Istanbul was always one of the first in Turkey even in the Middle East to meet with the modern civilization.Thirdly,after studying the social transformation from the late Ottoman Empire to the early Republic of Turkey through the perspective of the evolution of Istanbul urban culture,there was more acceptance than resistance to Western civilization,more convergence than divergence in cultural encounters,and more fusion than conflicts between religion and secularism.