The Dönme

Jewish Converts, Muslim Revolutionaries, and Secular Turks

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Middle East Religions, Islam, History, Middle East
Cover of the book The Dönme by Marc David Baer, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Marc David Baer ISBN: 9780804772563
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: October 16, 2009
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Marc David Baer
ISBN: 9780804772563
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: October 16, 2009
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

This book tells the story of the Dönme, the descendents of Jews who resided in the Ottoman Empire and converted to Islam along with their messiah, Rabbi Shabbatai Tzevi, in the seventeenth century. For two centuries following their conversion, the Dönme were accepted as Muslims, and by the end of the nineteenth century rose to the top of Salonikan society. The Dönme helped transform Salonika into a cosmopolitan city, promoting the newest innovation in trade and finance, urban reform, and modern education. They eventually became the driving force behind the 1908 revolution that led to the overthrow of the Ottoman sultan and the establishment of a secular republic. To their proponents, the Dönme are enlightened secularists and Turkish nationalists who fought against the dark forces of superstition and religious obscurantism. To their opponents, they were simply crypto-Jews engaged in a plot to dissolve the Islamic empire. Both points of view assume the Dönme were anti-religious, whether couched as critique or praise. But it is time that we take these religious people seriously on their own terms. In the Ottoman Empire, the Dönme promoted morality, ethics, spirituality, and a syncretistic religion that reflected their origins at the intersection of Jewish Kabbalah and Islamic Sufism. This is the first book to tell their story, from their origins to their near total dissolution as they became secular Turks in the mid-twentieth century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book tells the story of the Dönme, the descendents of Jews who resided in the Ottoman Empire and converted to Islam along with their messiah, Rabbi Shabbatai Tzevi, in the seventeenth century. For two centuries following their conversion, the Dönme were accepted as Muslims, and by the end of the nineteenth century rose to the top of Salonikan society. The Dönme helped transform Salonika into a cosmopolitan city, promoting the newest innovation in trade and finance, urban reform, and modern education. They eventually became the driving force behind the 1908 revolution that led to the overthrow of the Ottoman sultan and the establishment of a secular republic. To their proponents, the Dönme are enlightened secularists and Turkish nationalists who fought against the dark forces of superstition and religious obscurantism. To their opponents, they were simply crypto-Jews engaged in a plot to dissolve the Islamic empire. Both points of view assume the Dönme were anti-religious, whether couched as critique or praise. But it is time that we take these religious people seriously on their own terms. In the Ottoman Empire, the Dönme promoted morality, ethics, spirituality, and a syncretistic religion that reflected their origins at the intersection of Jewish Kabbalah and Islamic Sufism. This is the first book to tell their story, from their origins to their near total dissolution as they became secular Turks in the mid-twentieth century.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Rebranding Islam by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Coalition Challenges in Afghanistan by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Thinking Through Animals by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Track Two Diplomacy in Theory and Practice by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Occupying Power by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Haunting History by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Coercing Compliance by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Borderland Capitalism by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Our Bodies, Ourselves and the Work of Writing by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Living Emergency by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Emotions in the Field by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Reducing Uncertainty by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book The Diplomat in the Corner Office by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book The Future and Its Enemies by Marc David Baer
Cover of the book Ethics as a Work of Charity by Marc David Baer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy