Introduction

Introduction It is with great pleasure that we present to you the first issue of the Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association (JOTSA). This represents a long term “labor of love” for many in the broader field of Ottoman and Turkish Studies and a reinvigoration of the former Turkish Studies Association and its long running newsletter, bulletin, and then journal (Turkish Studies Association Journal). TSA members voted this year to change the name of the organization to the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association in order to reflect the membership and activities of these interrelated fields. Gone are the days that Turkish Studies only meant the study of things related to the Republic of Turkey, Turkish nationalism, language, and its Anatolian past. These fields over the past two decades have broken down the confines of the Area Studies disciplines to include the wide ranging studies that cross disciplinary, national, ethnic, imperial, periodized, religious, geographic, and linguistic boundaries and now better represent the diversity of peoples, influences, approaches, times, and regions that make up the Turkish and former Ottoman worlds. Branching outside the traditional history, social science, and humanities disciplines, scholars are working on such topics as gender, sexuality, queer studies, ethnomusicology, fine and graphic arts, and the digital humanities. This inaugural issue of JOTSA signals the transition from the former Turkish Studies Association to the new Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association. It contains four sections. The first section consists of three state of the field essays dealing with Ottoman Studies (Virginia Aksan), Turkish Studies (Howard Eissenstat), and the Digital Humanities as they relate to Ottoman and Turkish Studies (Chris Gratien, Michael Polczyński, and Nir Shafir). These three pieces lay out many of the directions and recent developments that characterize our fields. They also open up avenues for future work, especially the possibilities inherent in digital humanities in terms of collaborative and innovative research. The Second Section consists of the results of a special Middle East Studies Association conference panel organized by Linda Darling entitled “Ottoman Identity and the Development of an Imperial Culture in the Fifteenth Century.” These articles by Linda Darling, Hasan Karataş, Gottfried Hagen, and Christine IsomVerhaaren investigate how various officials and groups within the empire during the fifteenth century formed and negotiated their identities in relation to the developing state and imperial court. Originally slated for publication in TSAJ, circumstances prevented their appearance until now. We at JOTSA are grateful for the patience of these authors so that their excellent contributions can be included in our inaugural issue. The Third Section of this issue consists of four past winners of the Sydney N. Fisher Graduate Student Paper Prize. This prize is awarded annually to the best graduate student paper related to Ottoman and Turkish Studies by the former Turkish Studies Association and now Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association. The prize affords the winner the option to have her/his paper considered for publication in the journal. Four of the past prize winners and honorable mentions are included in this issue whose articles represent the richness, innovation, and growing dynamism Introduction 2 within the fields of Ottoman and Turkish Studies. The topics include the transformation of the Ottoman Sultanate in the early nineteenth century from dynastic to state monarchy (Darin Stephanov, 2010 Fisher Prize Winner), the Gülen movement and religious tolerance in Germany (Marthe Hesselmans, 2011 Fisher Prize Winner), the politics of architectural preservation in early republican Turkey (Ümit Fırat Açıkgöz, 2012 Honorable Mention), and finally, the debate between official state feminism and Kemalism as Turkey transitioned to a multi-party system (Stefan Hock, 2013 Fisher Prize Winner). The Fourth Section contains a collection of book reviews and review articles dealing with a variety of topics, time periods, and approaches to Ottoman and Turkish Studies. Many of these reviews have been awaiting publication for some time and represent the vitality of our academic field. JOTSA will continue to provide this vital service to the academy by producing professional reviews of the highest quality and relevance to our academic community. We are grateful to William Blair for his willingness to continue on as the Book Review Editor. Moving forward JOTSA will be published...