Darülfunun: the focus of Ottoman cultural modernization

This is a comprehensive book on the history of the modern university which emerged as part of the cultural modernization process that followed the Tanzimat reforms. It records and evaluates on basis of first-hand sources the stages of formation of the university from its concept until its institution as the University of Istanbul. It is the result of many years of research by Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, historian of science and education in the Ottoman world. The formation of a European-type university represented a transformation in Ottoman cultural and educational life. In addition to building the university’s legal, administrative and financial structures, it necessitated policy decisions on such subjects as the university model to be followed, the curricula and the faculty. The present work reviews the process extensively.

It is arranged as three books laid out in two volumes. The first book examines the emergence of the idea of the modern university beginning from the period of the Tanzimat and its establishment after three attempts, and analyses its evolution in stages, until the 1933 university reform. The second book looks into the development of the Darülfünun in the light of evolving concepts and trends in cultural, social and scholarly life. As to the third, it describes in detail the development of each of the Faculties of Science, Letters, Theology, Law and Medicine with respect to their curricula, faculty members, affiliated institutes, and activities.