The Late Ottoman Intellectual Response to Bulgarian Nationalism

In the late nineteenth century, European ideas of nationalism penetrated the Ottoman Empire. This is especially true in the Balkan regions. The development of Balkan nationalism, particularly the focus on how intellectuals and nationalists responded to Ottoman rule in the nineteenth century) has long occupied historians. One way the Ottoman intellectuals attempted to respond to this challenge was Ottomanism, the attempt to generate an inclusive Ottoman nationalism. This approach by the Ottoman state and intellectuals, however, failed. Ottomanism could not evoke a sense of belonging in the Balkan populations and was primarily based on the territorial boundaries of the Ottoman Empire, with weak links to national identity in the Balkans. Historians have examined how Balkan intellectuals and nationalists formulated a nationalism that saw itself as distinct from the Ottoman Empire. Less studied is how Ottoman intellectuals' efforts to respond to growing Balkan nationalism and their failure to stave off the Balkan regions resulted in a profound shock. This thesis will address this literature gap by examining the perspective and response of the Ottoman intellectuals to Balkan nationalism, with focused attention to Bulgaria.