Hikmet Kıvılcımlıs history thesis and Ottoman social structure analysis: A theoretical comparison with the Asian mode of production

The examination of Turkey's socialist perspective on the past and its adaptation of socialism to the norms of social structure is an important subject in the study of Turkish socialist circles. This has been addressed by Turkish intellectuals through debates and theoretical analyses. Analyzing the Ottoman social structure from a socialist viewpoint is significant both politically and sociologically. This perspective on the left involves studying the place and characteristics of the Turkish proletariat within a social context. Another important aspect is the understanding of the concepts of property and means of production throughout history. When examining the Ottoman society from the left perspective, political analyses have brought up discussions about "Asiatic Mode of Production" and "feudalism." In the 1960s, these conceptual conflicts dominated the agenda of the Turkish left. Dr. Hikmet Kıvılcımlı, has been a thinker who attracted interest both during that period and in contemporary times. The discussions on the "form and internal dynamics of Ottoman society" in 1960s Turkish left were intense. The examination of Ottoman society through the Asiatic Mode of Production was a preferred method by the intellectuals of that era. The adaptation of Asiatic Model to the Ottoman social structure is an attempt to interpret the Ottoman Empire using a ready-made theory. However, the Historical Thesis (Tarih Tezi) completely examines Ottoman society from its own systematic approach, tracing back from primitive times. Despite the Historical Thesis not being extensively discussed by the left circles of the period, it has not undermined its unique position. Kıvılcımlı's approach to Ottoman society with his own methodology diverges from the Asiatic Model -compatible Ottoman thought of the era. A comparative analysis of the Asyatic thought, founded by Marx, and the Historical Thesis will be useful in questioning the structure of Ottoman society. This study will be based on Kıvılcımlı's theoretical ideas. Kıvılcımlı's theories, which form a distinctive system of thought, aim to understand and reinterpret Ottoman society from a different perspective. This study will focus on Kıvılcımlı's intellectual framework, examining the structure of the Ottoman society and related thoughts. The study will attempt to present a comparison between the Historical Thesis and Asiatic Model thoughts.