A CHALLENGING TASK FOR JOURNALISM HISTORIANS: THE CULTURAL TURN AND THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE OTTOMAN/TURKISH PRESS

This article critically evaluates the historiography of the Ottoman/Turkish press and seeks to shed light on the debates in journalism history triggered by James Carey's call for a “cultural history of journalism.” It argues that participating in these debates is crucial at a time when the history of journalism is on the cusp of a ‘digital turn’. For the first time since the early 20th century, the development of digital archives and the technologies that support them has significantly increased global interest in the history of journalism. The widespread use of digital archives will gradually transform the narrative of scarcity into one of abundance. Nonetheless, transforming this interest into a productive process of historical knowledge production requires researchers to rethink their epistemic relationship with the Ottoman press. This article argues that the ‘digital turn’ offers a crucial opportunity to add new pieces to the history of Ottoman journalism. However, for these pieces to coalesce, journalism historians must take the previously neglected path of the ‘cultural turn’.