German impact on Turkish political thought: Babanzade İsmail Hakkı's Hukuk-ı Esasiye

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b3422554

This dissertation examines Babanzade Ismail Hakkı’s legal and political thought during the Second Constitutional period in the Ottoman Empire, focusing on his influential work Hukuk-ı Esasiye (Fundamental Law, 1913) and writings in Tanin. Babanzade’s role as a political theorist has been underexplored in existing scholarship. This study aims to fill this gap by situating Babanzade within the broader context of early 20th-century Turkish intellectual life, emphasizing his synthesis of Western legal state theory with Eastern intellectual traditions. In the existing literature, the influence of French thought on the Ottomans is predominantly emphasized, while the impact of German thought has been largely neglected. This study seeks to address this imbalance by demonstrating the significant influence of German Legal State (Rechtstaat) theory on Babanzade’s work. The dissertation begins with an exploration of the historical context, including the political climate during the Hamidian reign and the 1908 revolution. Babanzade’s biography and intellectual impacts are also examined. Subsequently, the dissertation delves into Babanzade’s theories on statehood and national sovereignty, drawing parallels and contrasts between his perspectives and those of Western legal state theorists and Islamic political thought. It further explores his views on representation, forms of government, and key issues in political science. Ultimately, this study reevaluates Babanzade Ismail Hakkı’s intellectual legacy, emphasizing his originality and depth in legal and political theory, as well as in political science within Turkish scholarship.