{"title":"Trauma as Evidence: Rifat Osman on Edirne","authors":"Beril Sarısakal","doi":"10.1386/ijia_00114_1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Early twentieth-century Ottoman-Turkish architectural history discourse is subjugated by state-oriented readings, and the prescriptions of the sociopolitical ideologies of the epoch. The agency of the individual is confined within the ramifications of these programmatic concepts. In lieu of such a discourse, this article considers Rifat Osman (1874–1933) and the agency of the individual as a source for architectural historiography. Trained as a medical doctor, Rifat Osman developed an interest in the architectural heritage and everyday life of the city of Edirne, now in western Turkey. He amply recorded his observations. Exploring the motives behind this unusual interest, I argue that Rifat Osman’s experience of Edirne, in particular as he witnessed the fall of the city to Bulgarians during the Balkan Wars (1912–13), transformed his engagement with the city and its history. This rendered the traumatic imprint of war traceable in his accounts. Through concepts of antiquarian sensitivity and war-induced trauma, I question how Rifat Osman’s anxiety is transmitted to the collective memory of the city, and in return, how architectural history becomes instrumental in the recovery from trauma.","PeriodicalId":41944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Islamic Architecture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Islamic Architecture","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1386/ijia_00114_1","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"ARCHITECTURE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Early twentieth-century Ottoman-Turkish architectural history discourse is subjugated by state-oriented readings, and the prescriptions of the sociopolitical ideologies of the epoch. The agency of the individual is confined within the ramifications of these programmatic concepts. In lieu of such a discourse, this article considers Rifat Osman (1874–1933) and the agency of the individual as a source for architectural historiography. Trained as a medical doctor, Rifat Osman developed an interest in the architectural heritage and everyday life of the city of Edirne, now in western Turkey. He amply recorded his observations. Exploring the motives behind this unusual interest, I argue that Rifat Osman’s experience of Edirne, in particular as he witnessed the fall of the city to Bulgarians during the Balkan Wars (1912–13), transformed his engagement with the city and its history. This rendered the traumatic imprint of war traceable in his accounts. Through concepts of antiquarian sensitivity and war-induced trauma, I question how Rifat Osman’s anxiety is transmitted to the collective memory of the city, and in return, how architectural history becomes instrumental in the recovery from trauma.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) publishes bi-annually, peer-reviewed articles on the urban design and planning, architecture and landscape architecture of the historic Islamic world, encompassing the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, but also the more recent geographies of Islam in its global dimensions. The main emphasis is on the detailed analysis of the practical, historical and theoretical aspects of architecture, with a focus on both design and its reception. The journal also aims to encourage dialogue and discussion between practitioners and scholars. Articles that bridge the academic-practitioner divide are highly encouraged. While the main focus is on architecture, papers that explore architecture from other disciplinary perspectives, such as art, history, archaeology, anthropology, culture, spirituality, religion and economics are also welcome. The journal is specifically interested in contemporary architecture and urban design in relation to social and cultural history, geography, politics, aesthetics, technology and conservation. Spanning across cultures and disciplines, IJIA seeks to analyse and explain issues related to the built environment throughout the regions covered. The audience of this journal includes both practitioners and scholars. The journal publishes both online and in print. The first issue was published in January 2012.