Suicide as a “Disease of Civilization”: A Tool for Westernization Critique in the Nineteenth Century Ottoman Empire
Journal: İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi
Year: 2025

This article focuses on a specific subset of archival materials: suicide-related news reports published in nineteenth century Ottoman Turkish newspapers, identified through digital tools such as Wikilala and Müteferriqa. Among these, the study selects only those articles that provide statistical data on suicide rates in Europe or offer a critique of Western civilization. The analysis reveals that the Ottoman press was well aware of the increasing suicide rates in the West and familiar with emerg