Canal-U

Developing Ottoman education in Southern Transjordan in the late 19th century

In the late 19^{th century, the Ottoman reassertion of power in the Southern regions of the Bilâd al-Sham went along with the implementation of new educational policies fitting the reforms (Tanzimat) agenda. The Ottoman educational strategy including the establishment of new schools and new curriculum aimed to spread common values including allegiance to Ottoman rule the establishment of a local loyal elite. This was accompanied by the appointment of Muslim preachers and copies of the Koran to reform and standardize the local religious practices. My presentation will focus on the social profiles of the teachers sent in Southern Transjordan and on the kind of schools developed in this region. This will allow for an analysis of these policies at a local scale. How are they revealing of the perceptions central government representatives had of these provinces? Did they and to what extent disrupt the social and political balance in this region? Overall, my presentation will investigate the existence of Ottoman missionary dynamics in the Arab provinces of the Empire during the late 19th century.}