The Enlightenment and the Development of Modern Education in the Ottoman Context

Abstract

This study aims to examine the Enlightenment and its impact on the development of modern
education in the Ottoman Empire. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that shaped the social and cultural values of the Western world within the framework of freedom and individual rights. This movement also influenced the educational sphere, transforming education into a compulsory, secular, and public institution. Modern education not only provided individuals with knowledge and skills but also served to maintain social order and reinforce political legitimacy. Enlightenment thinkers regarded the education system as a vital instrument for individual emancipation and for enabling individuals to play an active role in society through the use of reason. In this regard, the Enlightenment’s educational vision promoted individual freedom, scientific reasoning, and social progress, and modern education systems were shaped in line with these ideals. This transformative process laid the foundations of contemporary educational principles and guided the nation-states’ policies of citizen formation. By addressing Ottoman educational history within the framework of the Enlightenment’s influence, this study demonstrates that the liberation of education in Europe and its emancipation from religious authority were made possible by the internal dynamics of the period. Furthermore, it emphasizes that the modernization process initiated in the West evolved into a transformative movement on a global scale, encompassing not only Europe but also the Ottoman Empire. This study adopts a qualitative research framework and employs a historical and philosophical analytical method to examine the relationship between the Enlightenment’s conception of education and the development of modern education in the Ottoman Empire.