The Istanbul School and Its Representatives in the Uyghur Modernization Process

The process of Uyghur modernization has thus far not been subjected to sufficiently comprehensive and systematic scholarly investigation. Nevertheless, it is analytically possible to situate the Uyghur experience of modernization within the broader framework of the Jadidist movement that emerged across the Turkic–Islamic world. From the late nineteenth century onward, particularly in the domains of education and nation-building, Uyghur intellectuals who received their education in Istanbul and later returned, as well as intellectuals invited from Istanbul and the Idil–Ural region, exerted a substantial influence on the socio-cultural renewal of Uyghur society and on evolving perceptions of collective identity.

This study examines what is conceptualized here as the “Istanbul School,” a network of intellectuals consisting of Uyghurs who studied in or visited Istanbul, alongside intellectuals dispatched from Istanbul. These actors played a pivotal role in transmitting intellectual, educational, and institutional developments observed in Istanbul to Uyghur society. Motivated by ideals of progress and modern nationhood, they contributed significantly—often under conditions of political pressure and personal risk—to the socio-cultural transformation and socio-political development of the Uyghurs.

By outlining the principal contours of the Uyghur modernization process, this article aims to analyze the activities of selected representatives of the “Istanbul School,” highlighting their enduring impact on Uyghur intellectual life, cultural transformation, and nation-building efforts.