The concept of citizenship in the course book "Malumat-i Medeni̇ye" in Second Consti̇tuti̇onal area (1908-1922)

The 19th and 20th centuries were times when citizenship and legal reforms occurred in the Ottoman State. This period began on May 31, 1807 with the contract of Hüccet-i Şer'iyye and continued until the Second Constitutional Monarchy. As known, the Sened-i İttifak, Tanzimat Fermanı, and Islahat Fermanı were declared respectively in the 19th century. In addition to this, legal reforms on the notion of citizenship were carried out such as the reorganization of the Ottoman Penal Code, legislation on the Ottoman Citizenship Law, and the Mecelle (civil code). The most important turning point of this period was the repetition of Meşrutiyet and the end of the Abdülhamit II's regime. A new page was opened in the Ottoman State with the announcement of the Second Constitutional Monarchy (1908). This period signifies the transition from subject to citizen. On the other hand, the Second Constitutional Era is when the aim was to rescue the decadent state that had been subjected to internal and external political pressure and to transform society. The need to create citizenship, which is the political view of modern society, emerged on the way to establishing a modern nation state in the Ottoman Empire. As a consequence of the increasing capacity of the modern state to intervene, children became regarded as not only belonging to the family but also a guarantee of the future. The modern absolute state has two institutions that are important for the community of citizens: the army and schools. As a result, schools have become a socialization tool. Hence, the acquisition of teachers and the education curriculum have become key elements in the era of new human conception. In this respect, the course "Malumat-ı Medeniye" was added to the curriculum to form a generation that would adapt to the values of the constitutional order shortly after the declaration of independence. This course was the prototype of lectures on things such as citizenship and human rights education during the Republican Era. The urgent preparation of these textbooks is noteworthy. The authors of the textbooks were seen to have been inspired by the West, especially France. Through this research, a series of textbook works have been examined belonging to the "Malumat-ı Medeniye" course. Thus, arriving at original data has been possible in the lines of these books, which were written for children and teenagers in elementary, middle, and high schools. As a result of our research, how the political elites designed the course material and what kind of notion of citizenship they had has been revealed through the course material.