Intellectual Boundaries Shattered by a Popular Revolution

Some view Türkiye’s relationships with countries in North and East Africa, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Libya, and Sudan, as a reflection of an expansionist mindset. In fact, the “colonialist” label once attributed to the Ottoman era is now being applied to Türkiye because of its relationships with neighboring countries. These assumptions have distanced defensive approaches from reality. However, when the region transformed into a playground for different power centers, we saw firsthand that we were facing an existential problem. As in the case of Syria, issues didn't get resolved at some point but instead became even more complicated, affecting domestic matters on a much deeper level. During this time, those who should have supported resolving problems within reasonable limits ended up becoming part of the growing issues. As a result, we see that conservative groups in Türkiye have also faced a profound geographical alienation regarding the Syrians living here. Orientalist judgments have deepened over time, and we have started viewing our history through the lenses they opened.

The colonial label applied to the Ottoman era shows how translation errors can have significant consequences and how foreign ideas, despite lacking a solid foundation, can spread easily. As previously mentioned, the term colonialism fails to fully express the broad meaning of colonialism. It can be used as a counterpart to the concept of exploitation. The most famous dictionaries define this term as exploitation and operation. Well-known economists in Türkiye also use the term colonialism in its dictionary sense, which has led them to focus on the idea of baseless exploitation. When looking at Ottoman history through this lens, they perceive exploitation, abuse, and operation, and thus apply the colonialism concept to Ottoman history. If they knew this was a childish illusion, they would have developed a different stance.

The term "colonialism," once used to describe colonialism, is much more comprehensive. However, it is still far from encompassing settler colonialism. Therefore, we cannot distinguish the actions implied by settler colonialism from others, and we make certain assumptions that the meaning has softened. However, settler colonialism is a branch of colonialism and refers to a particular human community. Those who claim the meaning has softened should study the actions of this particular community. Those who encounter a different expropriation event will be truly surprised. Therefore, the phenomenon of settler colonialism cannot be equated with terms like invasion. In the six-hundred-year history of the Ottoman Empire, you cannot find even one example of the activities implied by the concept of settler colonialism. Regardless of their perspective, any historian, economist, or political scientist will not encounter any phenomenon indicating settler colonialism in their approach to events in Ottoman history or the current region surrounding Türkiye. However, terms like colonialism and invasion blur the meaning and eliminate the possibility of comparison. The vast differences that emerge when comparing British and French history with Turkish history are also crucial for understanding today.

Jürgen Osterhammel, whose books are also read in our country, states that the system the Ottoman Empire established in Egypt between 1517-1798 was not seen as a problem by the people. According to Osterhammel, linguistic foreignness did not harm the Islamic concept of just governance due to religious commonality. In this regard, it is not correct to limit MIT President İbrahim Kalın’s prayer at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus to sentimentality or religious terms. I don't know what Mr. Kalın felt when he received the clear affection of the Syrian people, but I am sure those observing were astonished by the legitimacy that emerged. Those who had been saying for years, “Our demographic structure is being disrupted, our culture is under invasion, Syrians should leave as soon as possible,” must also have been surprised. They didn’t expect this immense geopolitical shift.

So, has Palestine been forgotten in the shadow of the Syrian revolution, or is the heart of the region beating elsewhere? We are living through a very important period. Without new ideas, it is impossible to grasp the essence of this period.