Kulturimperialismus versus Protektionismus? Antike Objekte als Konfliktfaktor der deutschen und osmanischen Kunstpolitik zwischen 1890 und 1918

This project investigates how the relocation of cultural assets determined the German-Ottoman relationship.

Research

As a result of the cultural imperialist aspirations of Western museums to acquire antique objects from the Ottoman Empire, an Ottoman cultural protection concept has developed. Osman Hamdi Bey and Halil Edhem Eldem forced protectionist measures and thus acted contrary to German museum interests in the Orient. Against this background, it will be investigated how the relocation of cultural assets determined the German-Ottoman relationship. Furthermore, the project analyses the valorisation of ancient objects through the gate in the sense of nation building with the aim of establishing an Ottoman identity.

This Ph.D. thesis is being written within the program Ancient Object(s) and Visual Studies (AOViS) of the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS).