A synthesizing approach to modernization theory: Progress, woman and nationalism in the Teârüf-i Müslimîn Journal

The modernization process that began in the West impacted the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world and the Muslims were exposed to the challenges of the West in terms of military, political, economic, cultural, and ideological aspects. Therefore, to be able to respond to the predicament and oppression that was caused by Western imperialism, Muslim intellectuals aimed to develop a model of progress. Journals were the most influential instruments that were used to attain this aim. The Teârüf-i Müslimîn is the first journal that was issued in Istanbul by Muslim Turkish intellectuals of Russia to this end. Another remarkable point is that the Teârüf-i Müslimîn reinterpreted modern problems of its time by embracing a synthesizing approach. In this thesis, I, touch upon the contradictions of the synthesizing approach in the Teârüf-i Müslimîn and, mainly, examine the impacts of the modernization process on the thoughts of the authors of the journal. Besides, I discuss how both Ottoman intellectuals and the Muslim Turkish of Russia dealt with the issue of progress, the social status of women, and nationalist ideas through articles published in the Teârüf-i Müslimîn journal.