Westernization and progress in Namik Kemal's thought

Eric Hobsbawm named his book "The Age of Revolution" in which he studied the 19th century. Indeed, this is one of the best definition of the subject century: 19th century is a dynamic one, in which nationalisms and ideologies took a systematic shape. In this abovementioned period, Europe, where both revolutionary and nationalistic movements were observed, had long-time effects on other lands intellectually. "The Society of Young Ottomans", Namik Kemal being one of the members, is one of the most significant movements for our history. In fact, neither Young Ottomans in general nor Namik Kemal himself could develop an ideology that is original and based on a system, or made a contribution to one. However, Namik Kemal had developed a discourse around the concepts born out of the French Revolution of 1789, leading harsh criticism towards the Ottoman Empire's current state and dedicated his productive identity to seek remedies for the emancipation of it. This thesis tries to focus on Namik Kemal's thought in terms of two perspectives: westernization and progress.