Not Ambition, but Culture: From the Late Ottoman to Early Republic The Transformation of the Concept of Personality

Abstract

This article aims to determine the development, transformation, and position of the concept of şahsiyet (personality/subjectivity) within the modernization process of Ottoman-Turkish literature during the late Ottoman and early Republican periods. The purpose of this article is to determine the development, transformation, and position in literary modernity of the concept of şahsiyet (personality) during the late Ottoman and early Republican periods. In the process spanning from the 1860s to the 1930s, discussions on authenticity, identity searches, and nation-state and nationalization paradigms in the Ottoman Empire also shaped the boundaries of literature. In this period, when the distinction between journalist and author was not sharp, periodicals became the greatest tool for expressing these views and sharing them with the public. By examining the historical, literary, and political dimensions of the concepts of şahsiyet (personality) and şahsiyetçilik (personalism), the unique development of this concept in the Ottoman context is revealed. The article addresses the transformation of the concept of şahsiyet in the Ottoman Empire in parallel with the social and political changes in the Tanzimat, Second Constitutional Era, and early Republican periods, starting from the mid-19th century. In this process, the concept began to be used more frequently, especially from the 1900s onwards, and this showed a parallel development with nationalist paradigms. The article emphasizes that the concept of şahsiyet is not only a subject of intellectual debate but also a reflection of social and political changes. The article concludes that the concept of şahsiyet, as an important part of Ottoman modernization, intertwined with and influenced social, political, and intellectual changes.