The aim of this course is to analyse the political, administrative, military, social, cultural and economic dimensions of the modernisation process in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and to analyse the causes, dynamics and consequences of this transformation. The course aims to evaluate Ottoman modernisation not only as a process of Westernisation, but also as a unique response to the empire's internal needs, crises and changing world order.

In this course, the proclamation of the Tanzimat and Islahat Edicts, bureaucratic reforms, changes in education, new army and finance structures, provincial regulations, centralisation policies, developments in communication and transportation infrastructure, legal regulations and their social effects are examined. In addition, the relationship between Ottoman modernisation and developments in Europe, the implementation of modernisation in the provinces and social reactions to this process (e.g. ayans, ulema, local notables) are evaluated. Throughout the course, the continuities and break points of the modernisation process are discussed through documents and testimonies of the period.