Pashas and Protests

Abstract

This article takes the case of Derviş Paşa, an important Cypriot notable, as a starting point for examining controversies about knowledge in the late Ottoman Empire. In particular, the article argues that much of the controversy in Cyprus around Derviş centered around the role of the ‘enlightened’-individual, who was the representative of ‘truth’ or orthodoxy, and who was able to make truth claims on the basis of his behavior or comportment. This is discussed in terms of the distinction drawn at this time between ‘ revelation’ and ‘enlightenment’ as descriptions of the type of authority that the modern state should have. The article then argues that in both these descriptions truth is something that should be ‘revealed’ or ‘laid bare’. This has consequences for leadership, where leaders had visibly to embody the truth claims that supported their authority.