The Impacts of Orientalist Historiography on Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement -Specific to the Decline of the Baburids-

Salih Kalkan

Makale detayları

The Impacts of Orientalist Historiography on Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement -Specific to the Decline of the Baburids-

Yazarlar:

Salih Kalkan

Yayıncı:

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar:

İslam Mezhepleri Tarihi | İslam Mezhepleri

Dergi:

Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 9, pp.119-140

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001337345

pISSN:

2980-2407

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The Bābūrids, who ruled over the Indian subcontinent from 1526 to 1858, were a Turkish-Islamic state that continuously expanded their domain since their foundation. Under the reign of Aurangzeb ʿĀlamgīr d. 1707, the Bābūrids became the most powerful political entity in the region. However, following Aurangzebs death, the empire rapidly lost influence and, within fifty years, was forced to share its authority with the British, who were conducting colonial activities in the area. Despite the concurrent and interconnected processes of the Bābūrids decline and British colonial expansion in India, British Orientalists during the colonial period portrayed the decline of the Bābūrids as an internal matter, unrelated to British interventions. They presented the British colonial administration as saviors rescuing a decaying civilization. This Orientalist perspective positioned the Bābūrids decline in the eighteenth century while limiting British colonialism to the nineteenth century. This viewpoint had a formative influence on the developing local historiography regarding this subject. As a reflection of this influence, both Hindu nationalists and Indian Muslims, despite approaching the matter from different perspectives, largely treated the process through a one-sided lens focused on the Bābūrids, aligning with the approaches of British Orientalists. Among Indian Muslims, the Aligarh Movement and its first leader, Sayyid Aḥmad Khān d. 1898, played a prominent role in shaping this approach and the development of local historiography. It is evident that Sayyid Aḥmad Khāns views on the historical process in general, and on the Bābūrids in particular, were strongly influenced by the framework drawn by British Orientalists. In the post-colonial period following World War II, new perspectives on the decline of the Bābūrids emerged within local historiography, particularly focusing on economic motives from a Marxist perspective. These new approaches were mainly voiced by historians associated with the Aligarh Movement. However, it is notable that these approaches, like their predecessors, remained largely aligned with the Orientalist framework by focusing solely on the Bābūrids. From this vantage point, it can be posited that the unilateral conduct of the Bābureans decline process contributed to the British colonialism having a constructive rather than a destructive vision in the region, due to the manner in which it was conducted. Consequently, this study examines the influence of the colonial historical narrative constructed by the British for imperialist purposes on the shaping of local literature, with a particular focus on the Bābūrids, while highlighting the Orientalist impact on the Aligarh Movements interpretations of the historical process in the Indian subcontinent.

 The Bābūrids, who ruled over the Indian subcontinent from 1526 to 1858, were a Turkish-Islamic state that continuously expanded their domain since their foundation. Under the reign of Aurangzeb ʿĀlamgīr d. 1707, the Bābūrids became the most powerful political entity in the region. However, following Aurangzebs death, the empire rapidly lost influence and, within fifty years, was forced to share its authority with the British, who were conducting colonial activities in the area. Despite the concurrent and interconnected processes of the Bābūrids decline and British colonial expansion in India, British Orientalists during the colonial period portrayed the decline of the Bābūrids as an internal matter, unrelated to British interventions. They presented the British colonial administration as saviors rescuing a decaying civilization. This Orientalist perspective positioned the Bābūrids decline in the eighteenth century while limiting British colonialism to the nineteenth century. This viewpoint had a formative influence on the developing local historiography regarding this subject. As a reflection of this influence, both Hindu nationalists and Indian Muslims, despite approaching the matter from different perspectives, largely treated the process through a one-sided lens focused on the Bābūrids, aligning with the approaches of British Orientalists. Among Indian Muslims, the Aligarh Movement and its first leader, Sayyid Aḥmad Khān d. 1898, played a prominent role in shaping this approach and the development of local historiography. It is evident that Sayyid Aḥmad Khāns views on the historical process in general, and on the Bābūrids in particular, were strongly influenced by the framework drawn by British Orientalists. In the post-colonial period following World War II, new perspectives on the decline of the Bābūrids emerged within local historiography, particularly focusing on economic motives from a Marxist perspective. These new approaches were mainly voiced by historians associated with the Aligarh Movement. However, it is notable that these approaches, like their predecessors, remained largely aligned with the Orientalist framework by focusing solely on the Bābūrids. From this vantage point, it can be posited that the unilateral conduct of the Bābureans decline process contributed to the British colonialism having a constructive rather than a destructive vision in the region, due to the manner in which it was conducted. Consequently, this study examines the influence of the colonial historical narrative constructed by the British for imperialist purposes on the shaping of local literature, with a particular focus on the Bābūrids, while highlighting the Orientalist impact on the Aligarh Movements interpretations of the historical process in the Indian subcontinent.

 The Bābūrids, who ruled over the Indian subcontinent from 1526 to 1858, were a Turkish-Islamic state that continuously expanded their domain since their foundation. Under the reign of Aurangzeb ʿĀlamgīr d. 1707, the Bābūrids became the most powerful political entity in the region. However, following Aurangzebs death, the empire rapidly lost influence and, within fifty years, was forced to share its authority with the British, who were conducting colonial activities in the area. Despite the concurrent and interconnected processes of the Bābūrids decline and British colonial expansion in India, British Orientalists during the colonial period portrayed the decline of the Bābūrids as an internal matter, unrelated to British interventions. They presented the British colonial administration as saviors rescuing a decaying civilization. This Orientalist perspective positioned the Bābūrids decline in the eighteenth century while limiting British colonialism to the nineteenth century. This viewpoint had a formative influence on the developing local historiography regarding this subject. As a reflection of this influence, both Hindu nationalists and Indian Muslims, despite approaching the matter from different perspectives, largely treated the process through a one-sided lens focused on the Bābūrids, aligning with the approaches of British Orientalists. Among Indian Muslims, the Aligarh Movement and its first leader, Sayyid Aḥmad Khān d. 1898, played a prominent role in shaping this approach and the development of local historiography. It is evident that Sayyid Aḥmad Khāns views on the historical process in general, and on the Bābūrids in particular, were strongly influenced by the framework drawn by British Orientalists. In the post-colonial period following World War II, new perspectives on the decline of the Bābūrids emerged within local historiography, particularly focusing on economic motives from a Marxist perspective. These new approaches were mainly voiced by historians associated with the Aligarh Movement. However, it is notable that these approaches, like their predecessors, remained largely aligned with the Orientalist framework by focusing solely on the Bābūrids. From this vantage point, it can be posited that the unilateral conduct of the Bābureans decline process contributed to the British colonialism having a constructive rather than a destructive vision in the region, due to the manner in which it was conducted. Consequently, this study examines the influence of the colonial historical narrative constructed by the British for imperialist purposes on the shaping of local literature, with a particular focus on the Bābūrids, while highlighting the Orientalist impact on the Aligarh Movements interpretations of the historical process in the Indian subcontinent.

 Bâbürlüler, 1526-1858 yılları arasında Hindistan coğrafyasında hüküm sürmüş bir Türk-İslam Devletidir. Kuruluşundan itibaren tahakküm alanını daima genişleten Bâbürlüler, Evrengzîb Âlemgîr ö. 1707 döneminde Alt Kıtanın en kudretli siyasi teşekkülü haline geldi. Fakat Evrengzîbin vefatı ile birlikte söz konusu siyasal yapı son derece hızlı bir şekilde irtifa kaybına uğrayarak sahip olduğu otoriteyi sadece elli sene içerisinde, bölgede sömürgecilik faaliyetlerinde bulunan İngilizlerle paylaşmak zorunda kaldı. Hindistanda, Bâbürlülerin gerilemesi ve İngiliz sömürgeciliğinin yayılması eşzamanlı ve birbiriyle irtibatlı süreçler olmasına rağmen sömürge döneminde yürütülen tarihsel çalışmalarda İngiliz oryantalistler Bâbürlülerin gerilemesini, İngiliz müdahalelerinden bağımsız bir iç mesele olarak sunarlar. Bunun üzerine inşa edilen İngiliz sömürge idaresini ise çürüyen bir medeniyeti kurtaran güçler olarak tasvir ederler. Oryantalist bir perspektif ile ele alınan Bâbürlülerin gerilemesi böylece on sekizinci yüzyıla oturtulurken, İngiliz sömürgeciliği ise on dokuzuncu yüzyıl ile tahdit edilir. Bu bakış açısının mezkûr konu ile ilgili gelişen yerli tarih yazımı üzerinde biçimlendirici bir etkiye sahip olduğu görülür. Bu etkinin bir tezahürü mahiyetinde hem Hindu ulusalcılar, hem de Hintli Müslümanlar farklı perspektiften konuya yaklaşmakta olsalar dahi genel itibarıyla süreci İngiliz oryantalistlerin yaklaşımlarına uygun olacak şekilde Bâbürlüler üzerinden tek taraflı olarak yürütmektedirler. Hintli Müslümanlar arasında ilgili yaklaşımın ve yerli tarih yazımının şekillenmesinde çağdaş İslami akımlardan Aligarh Hareketinin ve bu hareketin ilk temsilcisi Seyyid Ahmed Hanın ö. 1898 ismi ön plana çıkar. Seyyid Ahmed Hanın genel itibarıyla tarihsel sürece bakışında ve Bâbürlüler özelinde yaklaşımlarının üzerinde İngiliz oryantalistlerin çizdikleri çerçevenin iz düşümlerinin olduğu rahatlıkla müşahede edilir. İkinci dünya savaşı sonrası post-kolonyal dönem itibarıyla Alt Kıtada yerli tarih yazımı açısından Bâbürlülerin gerilemesine ilişkin yeni bakış açılarının literatüre kazandırılmış olması söz konusudur. Marksist bir perspektifle ekonomik saikleri daha çok ön plana çıkaran bu yeni yaklaşımların, Aligarh Hareketi mensubu tarihçiler tarafından daha çok dillendirildiği ifade edilebilir. Fakat bu yaklaşımların da genel olarak süreci sadece Bâbürlüler üzerinden yürüterek oryantalist çerçeve ile uyum içerisinde olması dikkat çeker. Tarihsel sürece ilişkin bu perspektifte Bâbürlülerin gerilemesine ilişkin sürecin tek taraflı yürütülmüş olmasının, İngiliz sömürgeciliğinin zihinlerde yıkıcı olmaktan ziyade yapıcı bir tasavvura sahip olmasına katkı sunmakta olduğu savunulabilir. Nitekim hâlihazırdaki bu çalışma; Hindistanda kolonyal dönemde İngilizler tarafından emperyalist kaygılarla üretilen tarihsel inşanın yerli literatürün biçimlenmesine olan etkisine Bâbürlüler özelinde odaklanırken, Alt Kıtada modernist dini düşüncenin temsilcisi olan Aligarh Hareketinin tarihsel sürece ilişkin yaklaşımları üzerindeki oryantalist etkiye işaret etmektedir.

Makale detayları

The Impacts of Orientalist Historiography on Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement -Specific to the Decline of the Baburids-

Yazarlar:

Salih Kalkan

Yayıncı:

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar:

İslam Mezhepleri Tarihi | İslam Mezhepleri

Dergi:

Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 9, pp.119-140

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001337345

pISSN:

2980-2407

History of Islamic Sects

Orientalism

Aligarh Movement

Bāburids

Syed Ahmad Khanİslam Mezhepleri Tarihi

Oryantalizm

Bâbürlüler

Aligarh Hareketi

Seyyid Ahmed Han

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Salih Kalkan

Yayıncı: Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar: İslam Mezhepleri Tarihi | İslam Mezhepleri

Dergi: Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 9, pp.119-140

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 12/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001337345

pISSN: 2980-2407

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Salih Kalkan

Yayıncı:

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar:

İslam Mezhepleri Tarihi | İslam Mezhepleri

Dergi:

Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 9, pp.119-140

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001337345

pISSN:

2980-2407