Study Guide for Niyazi Berkes, "Foundations of a Secular State"
Niyazi Berkes directed until his retirement the Center for Islamic
Studies at McGill University in Montreal. This book, in its entirety, is
well worth reading, should you find time and interest in future years.
While written and published more than 30 years ago, it remains the classic
account of "modernization" in the Ottoman Empire, resulting in
modern Turkey.
Be sure to note the difference between "secular", "secularism",
and "secularization" as Berkes uses these terms. They mean somethings
different in the America of the 1990s.
What were the main changes that Mahmud introduced that moved the Ottoman
Empire from what Berkes calls the "medieval" state to the beginnings
of a modern state?
What are the main differences in approach taken by Lewis and Berkes?
How does the educational system and curriculum favored by Mahmud compare
with that of Mehmed II's palace school?