Ataturk: An Intellectual Biography - Softcover

Hanioglu, M. Sukru

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691175829 ISBN 13: 9780691175829

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2017

Synopsis

When Mustafa Kemal Ataturk became the first president of Turkey in 1923, he set about transforming his country into a secular republic where nationalism sanctified by science--and by the personality cult Ataturk created around himself--would reign supreme as the new religion. This book provides the first in-depth look at the intellectual life of the Turkish Republic's founder. In doing so, it frames him within the historical context of the turbulent age in which he lived, and explores the uneasy transition from the late Ottoman imperial order to the modern Turkish state through his life and ideas. Shedding light on one of the most complex and enigmatic statesmen of the modern era, M. Sukru Hanioglu takes readers from Ataturk's youth as a Muslim boy in the volatile ethnic cauldron of Macedonia, to his education in nonreligious and military schools, to his embrace of Turkish nationalism and the modernizing Young Turks movement. Who was this figure who sought glory as an ambitious young officer in World War I, defied the victorious Allies intent on partitioning the Turkish heartland, and defeated the last sultan? Hanioglu charts Ataturk's intellectual and ideological development at every stage of his life, demonstrating how he was profoundly influenced by the new ideas that were circulating in the sprawling Ottoman realm. He shows how Ataturk drew on a unique mix of scientism, materialism, social Darwinism, positivism, and other theories to fashion a grand utopian framework on which to build his new nation. Now with a new preface, this book provides the first in-depth look at the intellectual life of the Turkish Republic's founder.

About this title

Review:

"Learned and deeply insightful, this elegantly written book offers a unique perspective on the founder of modern Turkey. Hanioglu's exploration of the evolving ideas of Atatürk, their provenance and context, and their impact on the policies of the Turkish Republic is a singular contribution to understanding Atatürk and his legacy. It is also a brilliant intellectual and cultural history of his age, and a veritable model of how the intertwined paths of politics and the history of ideas can be explored through the medium of biography."--Muhammad Qasim Zaman, author of The Ulama in Contemporary Islam

"This is the best book on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ever written. Hanioğlu deals with virtually every single aspect of Atatürk's biography without drowning in the partisan battles surrounding it. I am certain that this powerful book will become a classic."--Cemil Aydin, author of The Politics of Anti-Westernism in Asia

"Hanioğlu has produced a work that is both accessible and intellectually stimulating. It is safe to say that there are few scholars alive today who are able to provide the rich historical perspective on Atatürk's life that Hanioğlu provides here."--Benjamin C. Fortna, author of Imperial Classroom: Islam, the State, and Education in the Late Ottoman Empire

"Fresh and concise."--New Yorker

"A significant achievement, and indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the roots of modern Turkey."--Times Higher Education

"Atatürk does not lack for biographers, most of whose books are adulatory, but none has so thoroughly brought to life the ideological climate that molded the man as has Hanioğlu. And few have presented Atatürk with such objectivity."--Foreign Affairs

"The definitive biography of Atatürk and an instant classic."--Digest of Middle East Studies

"Hanioğlu does a stellar job highlighting the scientific trends Atatürk used to validate his Turkish national ideal. . . . Highly recommended."--Library Journal

"This work provides the essential intellectual framework to understand Atatürk and the enormity of his accomplishments."--Choice

"M. Sükrü Hanioglu probes the bold and pragmatic mind of Atatürk in his new book. . . . Hanioglu provides us with a fresh way to look at Atatürk."--Saudi Gazette

About the Author:

M. ?ukru Hanio?lu is the Garrett Professor in Foreign Affairs in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. His books include A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire (Princeton).

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0691175829
• ISBN 13: 9780691175829
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304