Ottoman things and the making of Islamic counter-authority in contemporary Turkey

For more than a century, Ottoman objects, sites, and artistic practices have been enmeshed in the politics of modern Turkey. The Kemalist Republic instituted itself through its selective abolition of Ottoman institutions and cultural forms, while pro-Muslim parties, most prominently the Justice and Development Party (AKP), valorize Ottoman-Islamic heritage as a civilizational legacy and a marker of national morality. But beyond these official narratives, ordinary Istanbul residents engage directly with Ottoman material and artistic legacies, cultivating a form of counter-knowledge: an understanding rooted not in state authority, but in the authority of objects and artistic lineages themselves. This chapter explores how practices of keşf (explorative discovery) allow participants to trace Ottoman traditions creatively, generating personal meaning, and aesthetic pleasure while subtly challenging governmental and ideological claims over Ottoman-Islamic heritage.