An evaluation of the catalog of Ottoman newspapers prepared by an Ottoman Jew Abraham Galante

Abstract

In the Ottoman Empire, opposition journalism outside the country presented its first examples during the reign of Abdülaziz. Publishing newspapers outside the country reached its peak during the reign of Abdülhamid II due to the repressive political conditions of the period. During these years, pro-Constitution Young Turk groups were organized in centers outside the country. The Young Turks, who turned to press activity to make their political demands known to Istanbul, created an oppositional press and literary movement. The aim of this study is to analyze Abraham Galante’s catalog, which is an important document about the newspapers published abroad during the reign of Abdülhamid II. It is very difficult to identify newspapers that opposed the Ottoman court and to have complete access to their collections. The data in Galante’s catalog, which he prepared during his years of involvement in the Young Turk movement and his work as a journalist abroad, pioneered studies on the Young Turk press and literature. In this context, Galante’s document, which is the first catalog of newspapers published outside the country during the reign of Abdülhamid II, is of great importance. As an Ottoman Jew, Galante’s catalog serves the disciplines of journalism, history, politics and literature as a source for research.