Armenian Intellectuals in the XIX. Century in Ottoman Empire: The Example of Diran Kelekyan

This article looks into the works of Ottoman Armenian intelligentsia of the 19th century who produced various written works in Ottoman Turkish in the field of literature, law, economics and linguistics. During the Tanzimat period of the Ottoman Empire some Turkish and Armenian students were sent abroad for educational purposes. Among those young men, this paper explores the contribution of the Ottoman Armenian students to the modernization process of the Empire through their written works. By doing so, it attempts to investigate the lives of the Ottoman Armenian intelligentsia and particularly focuses on the works of Diran Kelekyan who was one of the leading names of the period.