Tarih ve Filolojinin Kesişiminde “Osmanistik” İdeali: Yalova Mutabakatı (Çalıştay Raporu)
The Ideal of Osmanistics at the Intersection of History and Philology: “Yalova Agreement” (Workshop Report)

Summary/Abstract: Contemporary Ottoman historiography confronts a “paradox of abundance”. While the publication of primary sources has expanded exponentially, the field lacks methodological coherence and is divided by a deepening schism between historical and philological editing practices. The ideal of Ottoman Studies articulated by Halil İnalcık under the concept of Osmanistics, as an autonomous and institutionalized field grounded in shared scholarly standards, has yet to be consistently reflected in editorial practice. Against this background, the international workshop “Editing Ottoman Sources: The First International Workshop on Methodological Standardization (15th Century)” was held in Yalova, Türkiye, on July 26–28, 2025, bringing together historians, philologists, and archivists working on fifteenth-century texts that serve as the foundational sources of early Ottoman history. This report outlines the key issues that structured the workshop discussions, including long-standing philological and historical challenges, divergent transcription practices, and the implications of digital technologies for the publication of sources. Based on the papers presented and the discussions held, the report situates the current state of Ottoman/Turkish text publication. It summarizes the shared principles and points of consensus of the “Yalova Agreement,” which emerged from the workshop deliberations.

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