Utopia in the Thought of an Ottoman Modernist Thinker: A Study of Namık Kemal's Rüya

The fall of Ottoman Empire in 19th century led a number of Ottoman thinkers to contemplate about its reasons. Among these thinkers, Namık Kemal was a prominent figure who wrote enormously on the problem of Ottoman crisis and necessity of reform. This paper deals with a less-studied aspect of Ottoman modernist thought which is reflected in one of Kemal’s works. Of numerous works by Kemal which are written in different style and genres, his Rüya (i.e. dream) has received less academic attention. In this work, he has dreamed of a utopian world in which the ideal society he wished came true. Indeed, Rüya represents an aspect of Kemal’s romantic approach to the problem of modernity in Ottoman society. In this work, Kemal used an allegorical narrative to introduce the concept of “Hürriyet” (freedom) to a traditional society and to explain his patriotic ideas about the critical situation of his homeland. A critical examination of this work might be helpful to understand some of the challenges that modernist thinkers such as Namık Kemal should deal with. Meanwhile, it could help us to achieve a better understanding of the thought of a prominent thinker who played a crucial role in the process of Ottoman modernization.