Gaspirali, Ismail Bey

(1851–1914)

   Also known as Gasprinskii, Gaspirali, a Crimean Tatar intellectual, and an advocate of educational progress for Turkic peoples. He was especially interested in increasing literacy rates of Turks, seeing that as a key avenue toward future economic and political success. He published many articles and books, including many in his newspaper, Tercüman or Terjüman ( Interpreter ). Gaspirali saw education as a means to ultimately challenge Russian political authority, but he never called for more radical measures. He thought gradual measures were the most effective way to create pan-Turkic unity. Gaspirali’s ideas paved the way for the late-nineteenth-century movement known as Jadidism, whose supporters advocated new school curricula that combined modern Western subjects, Turkic literature, and traditional Islamic teachings. Gaspirali urged the creation of a common Turkic literary language, which he used in Tercüman. He believed that a common language was necessary to advance Pan-Turkism.

   See also <>; <>.

   FURTHER READING:

    Ekinci, Yusuf. Gaspirali Ismail. Ankara: Ocak Yalınları, 1997.

   SCOTT C. BAILEY