Papers by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
Routledge eBooks, Feb 28, 2023
In the introductory section of a famous kaside 1 composed in praise of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II ... more In the introductory section of a famous kaside 1 composed in praise of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II (r. 1481-1512) and known by its repeated rhyme word "hançer," Ottoman poet Necatî (d. 1509) compares the hair and glances of the beloved to a dagger, the word and image that gives thematic unity to the poem. 2 He quickly presents both sides of the sultan, warrior and beloved, whose ire is as dangerous on the battlefield as his munificence is at court: Eğer ki lûṭf ide nāzuñ eger ki ḳahr ide lûṭf Ki bezme rezme yaraşur bu dil-sitān ḫançer Whether you show grace playfully, or your grace causes suffering, this heart-stealing dagger befits both feasts and battles The bellicose representation of the beloved's body and his power over the suffering and wellbeing of the lover was not an uncommon trope in Ottoman poetry in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and even less so when praising a sultan. Indeed, here the dagger may be both playful and wrathful. Necatî links the sultan's military prowess and beauty to the power of words. It is unclear, however, whether he means the sultan's words or his own: Egerçi tīr-i ciğer-dūzuñ aġzı var dili yoḳ 'Aceb budur kim olur cümleten zebān ḫançer Although the heart-piercing arrow has a mouth it has no tongue, It's a wonder that it constantly speaks, this dagger Scholars of Ottoman poetry during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries could not have agreed more with Necatî, if probably for a different reason, as many saw the kaside as a series of dishonest and uninventive verses. Necatî, however, may be talking as much about himself as about what he hoped the sultan to be, confessing that Dilindedür nesi var ise ḳalbi şāfīdür Ne deñlü tizlenür ise geçer hemān ḫançer
A Companion to Early Modern Istanbul, 2021
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Book Chapters by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
A Companion to Early Modern Istanbul, 2021
Early modern Istanbul is, in a very real, non-hyperbolic, and non-metaphoric sense, a city define... more Early modern Istanbul is, in a very real, non-hyperbolic, and non-metaphoric sense, a city defined, organized, and made meaningful by poetry.1 Every era is marked by many hundreds of elite poets-poets of sufficient stature to warrant their inclusion in the Ottoman "biographies of poets" (şuʿarā teẕkireleri) literature-and these poets are only the visible surface of a many-times larger pool of not-quite-elite poets of several kinds. In the 15th and 16th centuries, and long after, poetry was produced among popular versifiers, dervish lodge poets, and musicians-from court musicians to mystics and coffeehouse minstrels.2 Sultans and soldiers, bureaucrats and courtiers, viziers, high officials, shopkeepers, religious dignitaries, institutional sufis, and scruffy deviantrejectionist mystics: all wrote reams of poems, often collected in volumes (each called a dīvān) containing hundreds and even thousands of poems. Public buildings, facilities, religious edifices, fountains, military buildings, and park and garden pavilions were for the most part adorned with poems by elite poets. Poetry embellished dervish ceremonies, social gatherings, and entertainment at all social levels, not only giving them meaning, but also providing templates for their activities, from conversation and behaviors to food, drink, and expected types of guests.3 In this chapter, we sketch a "poetics" of early modern Istanbul that theorizes, with examples, the way in which Istanbul can be seen as a psychological construct organized and made meaningful by an unusually extensive and intimate engagement with poetry. "Poetics" is the systematizing of the kinds of "making" and "doing" that poetry achieves as it engages in its work in the world.4 Poetics 1 Walter and I worked on this chapter for almost three years. It saddens me that Walter could not see its printed version. It was an honor to collaborate with him. 2 See the chapter in this volume by Behar, which points to the ways in which music and, presumably, the "language" (lyrics) of music transcend class divisions. 3 Andrews, Poetry's Voice, 62-88, 143-74; Andrews & Kalpaklı, The Age of Beloveds, passim, on entertainments and the sexuality of Ottoman poetry and society and parallels to European social activities. 4 "Poetics", which comprises many theoretical perspectives on what poetry does, has a long and complex history from antiquity to the present day. For an introductory overview, see the article (with bibliography) on "poetics" in Greene et al. (eds.
Through this Persian couplet, Sürūrī insists that some poets neglect formal training and instead ... more Through this Persian couplet, Sürūrī insists that some poets neglect formal training and instead boast about their natural talent. Sürūrī, Bahrü'l-ma'arif, Süleymaniye Library, Hamidiye 1051, İstanbul, Folio 2b. Nurullah Ataç identifies this same couplet as belonging to Rumi. See Nurullah Ataç, Günlerin Getirdiği; Sözden Söze, Yapı Kredi Yayınları, İstanbul 2008, p. 181 2 Possibly the work of Tekin is the most appropriate example of the study of Ottoman imagery and its sources. See for instance, Gönül Alpay Tekin, Aḥmed-i Dā‛ī and His Çengnāme An Old Ottoman Mesnevî, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass 1973. The amount of scholarship in this vein is too long to cite here, two additional examples based on one of the most important poets of the fifteenth century should suffice, see Turgut Karabey,
Walter G. Andrews Kitabı, 2020
Book Reviews by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
Workshops and Conferences by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
by B. Harun Küçük, Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano, Assaf Tamari, Kaan Ucsu, Feray Coskun, Kostas Sarris, NUKHET VARLIK, Matthew Melvin-Koushki, Duygu Yildirim, Monica Meadows, and Selim Kuru
We are pleased to announce that Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD, will host the inaugural meet... more We are pleased to announce that Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD, will host the inaugural meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Ottoman Studies Workshop on March 29-31, 2019. This workshop is meant to provide a forum for discussion and collaboration between scholars of Ottoman studies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The theme of the workshop is Knowledge & Empire. The alliance between knowledge and empire transcended mere utility and opportunity. The pursuit of knowledge, religious piety, and imperial politics and governance, were tightly bound together. Indeed, the idea that knowledge led to more efficient statecraft was near ubiquitous. At the same time, knowledge was employed by imperial critics and opponents as a way of creating alternative socio-politic visions or reforming existing ones.
We encourage inter-disciplinary submissions, including but not limited to history, literary studies, manuscript studies, and art history. Early career scholars are especially encouraged to apply.
We kindly encourage scholars in the region to also consider attending the workshop as a respondent, particularly those not interested in presenting.
Please submit a roughly 250 word abstract via e-mail to Emin Lelić, exlelic@salisbury.edu by January 14, 2019.
Interviews (of Others) by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
Ottoman History Podcast, Aug 1, 2012
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Papers by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
Book Chapters by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
Book Reviews by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
Workshops and Conferences by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
The theme of the workshop is Knowledge & Empire. The alliance between knowledge and empire transcended mere utility and opportunity. The pursuit of knowledge, religious piety, and imperial politics and governance, were tightly bound together. Indeed, the idea that knowledge led to more efficient statecraft was near ubiquitous. At the same time, knowledge was employed by imperial critics and opponents as a way of creating alternative socio-politic visions or reforming existing ones.
We encourage inter-disciplinary submissions, including but not limited to history, literary studies, manuscript studies, and art history. Early career scholars are especially encouraged to apply.
We kindly encourage scholars in the region to also consider attending the workshop as a respondent, particularly those not interested in presenting.
Please submit a roughly 250 word abstract via e-mail to Emin Lelić, exlelic@salisbury.edu by January 14, 2019.
Interviews (of Others) by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
The theme of the workshop is Knowledge & Empire. The alliance between knowledge and empire transcended mere utility and opportunity. The pursuit of knowledge, religious piety, and imperial politics and governance, were tightly bound together. Indeed, the idea that knowledge led to more efficient statecraft was near ubiquitous. At the same time, knowledge was employed by imperial critics and opponents as a way of creating alternative socio-politic visions or reforming existing ones.
We encourage inter-disciplinary submissions, including but not limited to history, literary studies, manuscript studies, and art history. Early career scholars are especially encouraged to apply.
We kindly encourage scholars in the region to also consider attending the workshop as a respondent, particularly those not interested in presenting.
Please submit a roughly 250 word abstract via e-mail to Emin Lelić, exlelic@salisbury.edu by January 14, 2019.