An Ottoman Counterrevolution? The Birth of the Irtica Discourse and the Solidification of Unionist Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1909

Author: Dogan Eskinat

Advisors: Nader Sohrabi, Christine Philliou

"'On the morning of April 13 1909 (the 31st Mart, 1325, according to the Mali calendar) the inhabitants of Istanbul crossing the Galata bridge on their way to Stamboul witnessed scenes that recalled the days of the Yeniçeris' starts David Farhi's article central to any study dealing with the 31 Mart Incident. The preoccupation [of this thesis], then, is to provide an analysis of the 31 Mart Incident as an instrumental part of the Young Turk legacy. In other words, the transforming, defining, representing, and shaping of historical events for the purpose of legitimizing a political elite's rule falls within the scope of this study."