| Popis: |
This paper argues that the study of Ottoman printing developed from the European experience of print, and that this history continues to impact contemporary scholarship on the topic unduly. To illustrate this point, the paper provides a factual overview for incidents of printing among Ottomans and compares them to their historiographical portrayal. It then goes on to chart the life-cycle of the rumor that two Ottoman sultans banned print as it originated in early modern Europe, was adopted by nineteenth century Ottomans, and stabilized through twentieth century historians. The primary sources are texts of early modern European and Ottoman origin, and contemporary western and Middle Eastern origin. |
