Order of the World: The Idea of Sovereignty in the Late Stories of Ömer Seyfettin
Şerif EskinOn the basis of the assumption that literary texts are directly related to the historical and social contexts in which they are produced, this study discusses the idea of sovereignty through “Horoz” (The Rooster) and “Dünyanın Nizamı” (Order of the World) by Ömer Seyfettin. In this respect, firstly, the main arguments for this idea, theorized by Jean Bodin and problematized by Thomas Hobbes (particularly in Leviathan), will be examined. Furthermore, the roles played by intra-community relations, ambivalent relations of society with the state and the ruler, and human nature in constructing the idea of sovereignty, will be evaluated. Then, the origin, function, character, and historical evolution of the images of rooster and dragon derived from this idea in these short stories will be elaborated. The direction of this evolution, particularly from a divine to a secular character, will be followed through examples in Turco-Islamic art and literature. In addition, philosophical views on establishing the ideal social order, which are centered on sovereignty, will be presented in conjunction with the idea of nizam-ı âlem (world order), one of the defining concepts of Ottoman political history. Lastly, the earthly time and history that irrupt the realm of symbolic discourse in Ömer Seyfettin’s short stories will be analyzed within the framework of these concepts, and the intersections of literary, philosophical, and political categories will be interpreted.
Dünyanın Nizamı: Ömer Seyfettin’in Son Dönem Öykülerinde Egemenlik Fikri
Şerif EskinEdebî metinlerin, içinde üretildikleri tarihsel ve toplumsal bağlamla doğrudan alâkalı olduğu varsayımından hareket eden bu çalışmada Ömer Seyfettin’in “Horoz” ve “Dünyanın Nizamı” adlı öyküleri aracılığıyla siyaset felsefesinin ana başlıklarından olan egemenlik (hâkimiyet) fikri tartışılacaktır. Öncelikli olarak, Jean Bodin’in kuramlaştırdığı ve Thomas Hobbes’un özellikle Leviathan’da bir mesele olarak gündeme getirdiği bu fikrin temel argümanları irdelenecektir. Toplum içi ilişkilerin, toplumun devlet ve hükümdarla kurduğu ikircikli bağın ve insan doğasının, egemenlik fikrinin teşekkülünde oynadığı inşa edici rol değerlendirilecektir. Daha sonra Ömer Seyfettin’in söz konusu öykülerinde bu kavramla ilintili horoz ve ejderha imgelerinin kaynağı, işlevi, mahiyeti ve tarihsel süreçteki dönüşümü ayrıntılandırılacaktır. Bu dönüşümün özellikle ilahi olandan dünyevi olana doğru seyreden yönü Türk-İslam sanatı ve edebiyatındaki başlıca örnekler üzerinden takip edilecektir. Ayrıca, egemenlik fikrini merkezine alan, ideal toplum düzenini kurmaya ilişkin felsefi görüşler, Osmanlı siyasi tarihinin belirleyici kavramlarından olan nizâm-ı âlemle birlikte sunulacaktır. Ömer Seyfettin’in öykülerindeki simgesel söylem alanını istila eden dünya zamanı ve tarihi, bu kavramlar çerçevesinde analiz edilerek edebî, felsefi ve siyasal kategorilerin kesişim bölgeleri açımlanacaktır. Netice olarak makale, bir taraftan egemenlik fikri ile ona dair meşruiyet söyleminin edebî alanda nasıl kurgulandığını resmetmeyi, diğer taraftan da yaratıcı muhayyilenin söz konusu süreçte nasıl işlediğini ve bu işleyişin siyasal olanın üretimindeki rolünü açığa çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır.
On the basis of the assumption that literary texts are directly related to the historical and social contexts in which they are produced, this study discusses the idea of sovereignty through “Horoz” (The Rooster) and “Dünyanın Nizamı” (Order of the World) by Ömer Seyfettin. In this respect, firstly, the main arguments for this idea, theorized by Jean Bodin and problematized by Thomas Hobbes (particularly in Leviathan), will be examined. Furthermore, the roles played by intra-community relations, ambivalent relations of society with the state and the ruler, and human nature in constructing the idea of sovereignty, will be evaluated. Then, the origin, function, character, and historical evolution of the images of rooster and dragon derived from this idea in these short stories will be elaborated. The direction of this evolution, particularly from a divine to a secular character, will be followed through examples in Turco-Islamic art and literature. In addition, philosophical views on establishing the ideal social order, which are centered on sovereignty, will be presented in conjunction with the idea of nizam-ı âlem (world order), one of the defining concepts of Ottoman political history. Lastly, the earthly time and history that irrupt the realm of symbolic discourse in Ömer Seyfettin’s short stories will be analyzed within the framework of these concepts, and the intersections of literary, philosophical, and political categories will be interpreted.
In this context, although the study depicts how the idea of sovereignty and the discourse of legitimacy related to it are constructed in the symbolic sphere, on the other hand, how the creative imagination functions in the process in question and the role of this functioning in the production of the political are tried to be concretized. Furthermore, apart from the current reductionist patterns, it simultaneously pointed out the possibilities of interpretation that literary texts can potentially offer when one goes beyond the disciplinary boundaries. Thus, based on inferences, this study argues that the most distinctive feature of the symbolic discourse in the short stories of Ömer Seyfettin is that it is both intertwined with the earthly time and history of the world, and is in contact with the cultural memory of the geography, as well as with the neighbouring cultures. All historical meanings of the motifs and images in the short stories in question clearly implicate this aspect. This fact indicates to the necessity of seeking for more comprehensive methodological approaches beyond reductionist interpretive templates in Ottoman–Turkish literary studies.
One of the key outcomes of this study is that a historical continuity, instead of a rupture, became evident despite a number of transformations in the contents of images and conceptual frameworks. Even though the idea of sovereignty has been transformed in the historical process, the symbolic and conceptual frameworks are seemingly preserved. However, this continuity does not imply a steady situation, but a dialogical, dynamic transformation, all of which implicates the existence of a background which goes beyond, also encompasses the categories such as “literary” and “political”. On the other side, the function of literary discourse in the political subject’s search for self-expression was also proved throughout the analysis. In fact, the main power of literary language is its ability to represent the imaginary and the conceptual in synchronization.
Last but not least, from the perspective of history of political thought and conceptual history, another most significant conclusions of this study is that the symbolic universe and discourse in Ömer Seyfettin’s texts analyzed support the argument that the concept of world order (nizâm-ı âlem) cannot be reduced to “unity of the state” or “political order”, and that it has a much broader meaning set, which refers to the “civilized world” where people build a social order by coming together and well-organizing, in a sense close to Ibn Khaldun’s 'umran. It was also seen that the concept (nizam-ı âlem) is not static and ahistorical, as implied in some commentaries, but rather dynamic and included in the historical time. Hence, in some prominent texts of Turkish literature of the Republican period, the order (nizam) will continue to appear in political-theological contexts. From this point of view, it does not seem possible to confine the history of this concept to the Ottoman Empire.