The Evolutionist Journal of the Constitutional Era: Ulum-1 Iktisadiye ve Ictimaiye Mecmuasi

Abstract

The Ulum-1 Iktisadiye ve Ictimaiye Mecmuasi (Journal of Economic and Social Sciences) is a monthly journal was first published after the declaration of Constitutional Monarchy. Ahmet Suayb, Riza Tevfik and Mehmed Cavid were the founders of the journal both in terms of intellectual and institutional basis. The journal is considered as the first of social science journal in the history of Turkish academic literature. The journal adopted a liberal standpoint and argued for fostering agricultural policies for the Ottoman Empire and stayed close to the organismic theory, i.e. the theory of evolution and the individualistic perspective. It stood in line with Le Play's, Comte's and Spencer's sociological approaches. On the other hand, after the outbreak of Balkanian War with which there occurred a paradigm shift among Ottoman intellectuals, the individualistic perspective lost its ground against the Durkheimian sociology represented by Ziya Gokalp. Consequently the journal effaced from the surface of the publishing life without leaving any trace.