European University Institute Library

Books and oil, the emergent intelligentsia, oil barons and their unlikely cooperation in Baku, Turkay Gasimova

eng

Unlike the intellectuals who by nature are concerned with ideas, entrepreneurs usually take actions, especially the actions that result in financial benefits. Due to ideological reasons, these two- entrepreneurs and intellectuals – can rarely find common ground in their differing interests to collaborate, but when they do, it can lead to a massive change, as was the case in the late nineteenth century Baku. The nineteenth century was an age of dramatic political, economic, and cultural changes for the people of the South Caucasus and especially for Baku, which used to be a sleepy port town on the coast of the Caspian Sea up until then. As it has witnessed many crucial moments such as invasion by the Russian Empire, transition into industrial society, and establishment of secular education, the nineteenth century occupies great importance in the historiography of the countries in the region. One of the major phenomena of the time, the intellectual movement led by secular Muslim intelligentsia, also known as the Azerbaijani Enlightenment movement (Azərbaycan maarifçilik hərəkatı), coincided with yet another pivotal change - the Baku oil boom. Although separately both topics received enormous scholarly attention, the crucial question of the cooperation between the local intelligentsia and the oil industrialists remains largely under-researched. Given the importance of the financial support from the oil barons that was instrumental during the Enlightenment movement, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the question of the connection between the intellectual movement and the oil industry. Therefore, the novelty of this project is to shed light on the unprecedented fruitful collaboration between the intelligentsia and Baku oil barons and to contribute to the general understanding of the characteristics of such an alliance which is an exceptional concurrence in history. To reach its goal, the presented research will view this cooperation from a threefold perspective: firstly, as an immediate outcome of the Enlightenment movement led by the secular intellectuals against the clergy; secondly, as a modernization project that was a response by the oil barons to the imperial rule; and thirdly, as a process of socio-cultural renewal that was the outcome of the intelligentsia’s and the oil baron’s fascination with Europe which later gained political significance

Includes bibliographical references (pages 146-153)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--European University Institute (HEC), 2022.

no index present

non fiction

Books and oil

theses

1331149403

Defence date: 6 May 2022

Turkay Gasimova

EUI PhD thesesEUI theses

the emergent intelligentsia, oil barons and their unlikely cooperation in Baku