Intellectual History

Abstract

This chapter asks whether there is an Ottoman intellectual history and, if so, what makes it distinct from other forms of intellectual and cultural history. We argue that the answer resides in the methods and questions that Ottoman intellectual historians have asked their sources based on a long intellectual, philological, and philosophical tradition generated by the Ottomans. To do so, we discuss major methods, sources, and challenges of Ottoman intellectual history and how historians have engaged with them. Embracing a flexible and encompassing definition of intellectual history, we aim to highlight the undeniable and necessary place of intellectual history within Ottoman studies in the context of new developments in the field. Last, we discuss current methodological developments in intellectual history and their possible implications for the discipline’s future. With this short contribution, we hope to start a conversation about what is next in Ottoman intellectual history.