Introducing the Ottoman Gazetteer and OpenOttoman

Abstract

Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 407–412 Copyright © 2016 Ottoman and Turkish T Studies Association. doi:10.2979/jottturstuass.3.2.20 Introducing the Ottoman Gazetteer and OpenOttoman Summary of the Second Workshop of the Digital Ottoman Platform 20–24 June 2016, Princeton, NJ School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study Introduction OpenOttoman (originally: the Digital Ottoman Platform1 ) is a project aimed at facilitating and fostering collaborative digital humanities research. The challenge addressed in the two workshops held thus far is how to accomplish this. &OHDUO\LWLVDSURMHFWWKDWSURFHHGVZLWKVSHFL¿FLQWHULPJRDOVZLWKQR¿QDO single target, because possibilities and needs will continue to shift. Broken down into areas of focus, OpenOttoman currently aims to enable connections EHWZHHQSHRSOHDQGSURMHFWVWRGH¿QHDQGLQFXEDWHQHZLQLWLDWLYHVFRQQHFWHG to Ottoman studies, to provide information about best practices, and to link to existing resources. The project was conceived in early 2015, inspired by the VWDWHRIWKH¿HOGVXPPDU\ODLGRXWE\&KULV*UDWLHQ0LFKDO3ROF]\QVNLDQG 1LU6KD¿U2 It began to take shape at the workshop held in June 2015 under the auspices of Professor Sabine Schmidtke, faculty member in Islamic History and the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ.3 1. OpenOttoman has replaced the name Digital Ottoman Platform because it communicates more effectively the nature and aspirations of this digital Ottoman project. We hope that no lasting confusion ensues as a result of the change. 2. See their article: “Digital Frontiers of Ottoman Studies,” Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association 1, no. 1–2 (2014): 37–51. 6HHWKHUHSRUWRIWKH¿UVWZRUNVKRSDW³&UHDWLQJD'LJLWDO2WWRPDQ3ODWIRUP '23 ´ Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association 2, no. 2 (2015): 451–56. 408 School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study :LWKLQWKH¿HOGRI2WWRPDQVWXGLHVDYDVWLIXQGHUSRSXODWHGUHDOPRI scholarly research, many digital initiatives already exist: some are thriving; some stumble along; some have faltered and failed. In each case, the causes are several, sometimes unpredictable. In the broadest sense, all research today is digital. Already, digital tools, databases and platforms are integral to the work of scholars engaged in every aspect of Ottoman studies. Sources, reference works, databases, and publications are widely available in digital formats, allowing many people access to more of them, and so lowering the¿QDQFLDOFRVWRIHQWU\WRDQGSDUWLFLSDWLRQLQWKH¿HOG'LJLWDOFRPPXQLFDWLRQ O enables more varied and faster interactions among people, facilitating not only research but also review of materials for publications, grants, appointments and promotions, as well as virtual participation across physical distance and RWKHUGLYLGHV'LJLWDOWRROVVSDQDVSHFWUXPIURPLQFUHDVLQJWKHHI¿FLHQF\DQG precision of long-familiar tasks like note-taking and organizing of metadata, WRWKHOHVVHUNQRZQSRWHQWLDORIFRPSXWDWLRQDOKXPDQLWLHV,WLVGLI¿FXOWWR predict what may emerge in the future. If not for ourselves, then we must at least be able to appreciate the innovations and achievements of those who work digitally, so that we are able to evaluate their scholarship honestly, as a professional obligation. How can scholars of the Ottoman Empire, as a community and as individuals consciously employ digital tools to shape, enhance, and sustain their research? How can they do the same to support the learning experiences of their students and make discoveries and insights available to a broader interested public? Is it possible to use these same resources to create basic tools and GDWDVHWVIRUWKHHQWLUH¿HOGWRFRPPXQLFDWHZLWKFROOHDJXHVZRUOGZLGHDERXW ideas and issues, to afford access to data, and to create new kinds of cooperations that cross geographical, political and disciplinary boundaries? These are the challenges that have inspired the OpenOttoman initiative. The First Workshop 7KH¿UVWZRUNVKRSDVVHVVHGWKHGLJLWDOVWDWHRI2WWRPDQVWXGLHVGHVLGHUDWD LQWKH¿HOGDQGWKHSRVVLEOHPRGDOLWLHVIRUFUHDWLQJDVLWHRIWKHNLQGZHVXJgest . Three working groups were established: organization and management (ORG), website and content (WEB), and gazetteer (GAZ). The GAZ group was the most active of these throughout...