Public diplomacy and the Translation Office (Tercüme Odası) in the Ottoman Empire (1839-1876)

Abstract

This study aims to situate the role of the public diplomacy conducted by the Foreign Ministry during the intensified foreign diplomacy of the 19th century Ottoman Empire. By looking at the archival documents of the Translation Office (Tercüme Odası) within the Foreign Ministry, this thesis shows how foreign newspapers became the tools of implementing public diplomacy. After discussing the transformation of the office of the Reis-ül Küttab to Foreign Ministry in correlation with the development and changing nature of Ottoman foreign affairs, the study focuses on the importance of the newly emerging bureaucratic system and the crucial role the new style bureaucrats played in the transformation of the Empire. The major focus of this study is on the role of the intelligence network between the Ottoman embassies, the Translation Office and the Foreign Ministry in conducting the public diplomacy through the monitoring of European newspapers. Ottoman diplomats and agents proved competent in their effort to elevate their profession and integrate the Ottoman diplomacy into the European system by using new diplomatic tools such as public diplomacy.