Teaching Scientific Home Economics in Late Ottoman Girls’ Schools: Curriculum and Textbooks
Fatma Tunç YaşarThe idea of home economics based on scientific knowledge and modern standards emerged in the nineteenth century, and from the middle of the century onwards, home economics began to be part of the curriculum of girls’ schools as an independent course. As a scientific field of study, home economics defines scientific and pedagogical standards in many subjects related to home life such as the organization and physical condition of the house, house-cleaning, health issues, heating, dressing, raising of children, eating, table manners, and etiquette. In this way, it aims to increase professionalism and productivity at home. In the pre-modern Ottoman world, home economics, which was considered as a subject of ethics and covered as a chapter in the ethics books, began to be taken as an independent field in books and periodicals after the second half of the nineteenth century and was also taught as a course in girls’ schools. Standards, discipline, order, rationality, pragmatism, and hygiene emerged as the major principles of this new version of home economics. This article focuses on the teaching of home economics as a science-based course in late Ottoman girls’ schools as the educational policy of the state and examines the related textbooks, guidelines, regulations, and periodicals in this context. The article scrutinizes the place and weight of home economics courses in the curriculum of girls’ schools and discusses the agenda and content of related curriculums and home economics textbooks in the context of the Ottoman modernization process and women’s education.
Geç Dönem Osmanlı Kız Mekteplerinde Fennî Ev İdaresi Eğitimi: Müfredat ve Ders Kitapları
Fatma Tunç YaşarBilimsel verilere ve modern standartlara dayalı ev idaresi düşüncesi on dokuzuncu yüzyılda gündeme gelmiş ve yüzyılın ortalarından itibaren ev idaresi bağımsız bir ders olarak kız okullarının müfredat programlarında yer almaya başlamıştır. Ev idaresi bilimsel bir alan olarak evin düzeni, fiziksel koşulları, temizlik, evde sağlık, ısınma, giyim, çocukların bakımı ve terbiyesi, yemek, sofra düzeni ve âdâb-ı muâşeret gibi ev ile ilgili pek çok konuda bilimsel ve pedagojik standartlar belirlemekte ve bu şekilde evde profesyonelliği ve verimliliği artırmayı hedeflemektedir. Modernleşme öncesi Osmanlı dünyasında, ahlakın konusu olan ve ahlak kitaplarının bir bölümünü oluşturan ev idaresi, on dokuzuncu yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren kitaplar ve süreli yayınlarda müstakil bir alan olarak ele alınmakta ve kız mekteplerinde ders olarak okutulmaktadır. Standart, disiplin, düzen, rasyonellik, pragmatizm ve hijyen bu yeni ev idaresinin ana prensiplerini oluşturmaktadır. Bu makale, devletin eğitim politikası olarak ev idaresinin geç dönem Osmanlı kız mekteplerinde fenne dayalı bir ders olarak okutulmasını ele almakta ve bu bağlamda ders kitaplarını, talimatnameleri, nizamnameleri ve süreli yayınları incelemektedir. Makale, kız mekteplerinin müfredat programında ev idaresi derslerinin yerini ve ağırlığını irdelemekte ve ilgili müfredat programlarının ve ders kitaplarının gündemi ile muhtevasını, Osmanlı modernleşmesi ve kadınların eğitimi meselesi çerçevesinde tartışmaktadır.
Home economics appeared as an independent field of research in the nineteenth century and began to be included in the curriculum of girls’ schools in many countries through the second half of the century. As a scientific field, home economics defines systematic, modern and pedagogical standards for housework with a particular focus on household chores being part of the daily routine and aims to increase productivity and professionalism at home. Standardization, discipline, order, rationality, pragmatism, and hygiene appeared as the main principles of home economics. These principles defined the reform programs of many states, which were initiating a modernization process in the realms of political, economic and sociocultural areas in the nineteenth century. These principles are also among the main criteria of Norbert Elias’s definition of the civilizing process, which he defined by focusing on the change and transformation of the standards of correct and proper behavior in Europe from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Therefore, the rational and scientific approach to house related issues and the introduction of home economics as a course to the curriculum of girls’ schools appear closely related to the modernization and civilizing attempts of the states.
In the pre-modern Ottoman world, home administration (ilm-i tedbîr-i menzil), which was considered as a subject of ethics and included as a chapter in ethics books, began to be taken as an independent field as home economics (idâre-i beytiye) in books and periodicals after the second half of the nineteenth century as well as being taught as a course in girls’ schools through the last quarter of the century. Ottoman authors examined the decoration and physical conditions of the house, house-cleaning, health issues, heating, dressing, raising of children, eating and food, table manners, etiquette and all kinds of issues that may be related to the house under the title of home economics. The target of writing on home economics was the disciplining and rationalization of the Ottoman house life with definite standards. This literature criticized the traditional Ottoman house life as being scattered, irregular, and haphazard and proposed a new model of house management based on scientific, rational and pedagogical data, dominated by discipline, order, and hygiene.
The opening of new schools for girls at different levels from primary schools to teachers’ schools was an important development for the participation of Ottoman women in the formal education process. Furthermore, the discussions to define the object and content of girls’ curriculum reveals that Ottoman authorities considered the education of women within the perspective of the traditional role and status of Ottoman women as housewife, wife, and mothers despite Ottoman women beginning to benefit from the possibilities of formal education and public life. It seems that the number and the weight of courses related to home economics increased in the curriculum of girls’ schools of the time and attempts were made to fill the girls’ curriculum with those sciences regarded as necessary and useful to femininity, housewifery, and motherhood. The language used in the Ottoman textbooks of home economics shows that the traditional female discourse continued in many aspects. It seems that this literature on home economics aims to reorganize the living space of the family, which is the nucleus of the society according to the scientific, rational, technological and pedagogical standards and approaches of the age.
With the introduction of the home economics courses to the curriculum of Ottoman girls’ schools in different levels and the definition of women’s status as home managers, domestic life became a public issue and also a political matter on which state and public authorities developed policies. Because these books are textbooks for girls’ schools and each textbook is published with the permission of the Ministry of Education, it can be said that the woman’s discourse emerging from these books not only represents the idea of authors but also the policy of Ottoman political authorities. However, the introduction of home economics to the curriculum of girls’ schools both in the Ottoman and western world was not a result of an agenda to question or improve women status, rather it seems like a consequence of a process initiated by the state authorities to modernize all segments of life. In this context, the involvement of the course in the curriculums seems primarily related to the modernization and civilization process in almost every realm of Ottoman life from the second half of the nineteenth century, and the Ottoman house which was an area that needed to be reorganized in line with modern standards to serve and contribute to this change and transformation process.
