Abstract
THE UNDERSTANDING OF NATION THROUGH THE CONCEPTS OF “SELF” AND “THE OTHER” IN DÎVÂNU LUGÂTI’T-TÜRK
In this study, Kasgarlı Mahmud’s idea of nation and, consequently, the mean-ings of “self” and “other” in 11th century Turkish culture are explored via the lens of Dîvânu Lugâti’t-Türk. Along with the Turkish perception seen in the Dîvânu Lugâti’t-Türk, this framework has taken into account how language, religion, and geography issues are handled in defining the self and the other. Our research also focuses on how Turkish and Islam are perceived, as well as how the “other” is defined along this axis in how one views oneself, where the Turk is at the center but the boundaries are occasionally hazy. qualities that Kasgarlı Mahmud desires. Given the data, it has been determined that the definition of “self” in the work and the Turks’ comprehension of world-wide politics are closely related. Additionally, because it is an Arabic-Turkish dic-tionary, the Arab culture’s position has been taken into account. It is evident that Persian culture is frequently discussed in Dîvânu Lugâti’t-Türk on the occasions of the Oghuzes and the Karakhanids. One of the topics that the Di-van focuses on is the Turkish description, which includes the Through lan-guage-based concepts like “Tat,” this sign contributed to the definition of Kaşgarlı Mahmud’s “national” and “non-national” status. Some conceptual misunderstandings in our study had to be clarified because Persian concepts —many of which express the other— were occasionally applied to other ethnic groups. One of the issues that this study attempts to address both in Dîvânu Lugâti’t-Türk and Turkish history is the notion that Turks are a nation blessed by God, as determined in the work.
Keywords
Dîvânu Lugâti’t-Türk, Kaşgarlı Mahmud, nation, the other, Persian, Arab, the first Turkish dictionar
