I just cannot believe that
this thread actually escaped
me !!
1) I have some disagreement. There were efforts to reform Ottoman Turkish in the late empire, particularly in grammar; people like Namik Kemal tried to avoid using Persian and Arabic constructions wherever possible. I think over time Ottoman would have been brought closer to colloquial Turkish, but without the disastrous purge of the Arabic and Persian vocabulary. At some point a new alphabet is going to have to be instituted to deal with the literacy problem - but that is more likely to be a modification of the Arabic script than jettisoning it for the Latin script. The 1860s were just as reform was starting to gather steam - in the late 19th & early 20th c, movement for language reform was getting stronger. Turkish would be a major language, and Ottoman would have a large impact on Central Asia, with modern media bringing the languages closer.
Interestingly, the Jewish millet decided prior to the War to abandon their various languages (like Yiddish and Ladino) and adopt Turkish as their "national" language. That would have been a fairly significant boost to Ottomanism, as it would add an important group to the mainstream. What this means if European events generate waves of refugees is hard to predict.
Novels were starting to become popular in the late empire - probably that would continue.
I'm not sure Arabic would suffer as it would have to become another official language of the empire with such a large Arab population - I suppose there being only one state would reduce the variety of literature which in OTL has multiple "national" output.
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Culturally, the empire is likely to gain confidence and most likely preserve a lot more Middle Eastern flavor largely abandoned in favor of blind imitation of the West. Yes, that means fezzes for everyone. You may even see another wave of Ottomania in the West like in the 18th c.
There is a lot in our culture that you take for granted that is due to the early Ottomania wave:
If you think about Western classical music, what was missing in say, Mozart? That's right, percussion. ALL modern percussion is Turkish - all the drums, cybals, etc. Oriental rugs in rich and middle-class houses are still sought after as a touch of sophistication - this began then.
Most likely Ottoman music, food, and art would have greater impact and influence over our culture.
2) Nationalism would be a problem, but I don't think this is insurmountable. Armenian radicalism began in the 1880s, and had completely taken over by the early 20th c, so this is going to be a real problem, but presuming the Ottomans manage to gain real sovereignty, the Armenians are likely to recognize that acquiring an independent state is not realistic - what they will turn to is difficult to project, but perhaps it would be more cultural autonomy.
3) Religion would be interesting. I largely agree with what you wrote. Hanefism will make steady inroads against Shafi`ism. The interior of Arabia would be brought under control over time - especially once motor vehicles become widely available - or the Hijaz Railway system could even be extended into the interior. That would make Wahhabism an irritant rather than a serious menace - and it's largely forgotten that Wahhabism, although crude, was a useful enema to Islam.
1) In Indonesia, there is a language agreed to be used for everyone since it is pretty much neutral for everyone, especially from the two largest and most influential ethnic groups. Similar rule applies to India as well, though Hindi isn't as neutral to the whole India as Bahasa Indonesia is to the whole Indonesia....
Here there is no such language to overreign the two largest ethnic groups of the Ottoman Empire. Will Arabic become like French in Canada or Catalonian in Spain, or something bigger ? If the latter, then I can't help but wondering about how Ottoman modern popular culture will develop. The way I see it, this kind of setting will generate branching of two major spheres pretty much equal to each other in one single country, instead of a single one like typically.....
Unlike Catalonian to Castillian or all the Indonesian ethnic languages to Bahasa, Arabic won't seem to me to become as inferior in the whole national context to Turkish as the previous cases. If not outright equal, their positioning in national importance vis a vis each other will be narrowly diagonal.
2) I've been always under the impression that Russia was responsible for OTL Armenian radicalism. Had the Ottomans not lost the war in 1877-78, which you have been saying as will mean a setback for ethnic nationalism in general, will it mean Armenian radicalism as IOTL won't rise ?
(Sorry for asking this in post-1900 forum, but I'm curious)
3) By Interior, does it mean interior of Yemen ? Since Saudi Arabia is pretty much Hanbali IIRC.....
If Yemen will get Hanafized as well, I wonder what kind of minor effect will be resulted by such occurrence to other Shafiite countries like East Africa and Indonesia which are sort-of linked to Yemen through their respective Hadhrami communities, the reason both regions became Shafiites in the first place.....
I won't take it as mass shifting of Indonesians and East Africans to Hanafite Madzhab, certainly. But at minimal, this will mean introduction of Hanafite school to both peoples familiarity through "converted" Tambis. Still I can't help but wondering the following consequences......