THE LIMITS OF OTTOMAN PRAGMATISM

In this paper I reflect critically on the concept of pragmatism as it is used in Ottoman historiography. Pragmatism has gained increasing currency over the last ten to fifteen years as one of the defining features of the Ottoman polity. I argue that unless it is properly defined from a theoretical‐philosophical perspective, and carefully contextualized from a historical perspective, pragmatism cannot be used as an explanatory or comparative category. When used as a framework of explanation for historical change, pragmatism blurs more than it clarifies an essential aspect of the Ottoman polity that it seeks to define, namely, the political. It is essential to reflect on the difference between the political and politics because whereas the political refers to the configuration of the power relations that organize a society as a legitimate entity, politics refers to the strategies, practices, institutions, or discourses whose purpose is to construct and retain hegemony within a polity. Through an analysis of the concept of pragmatism in Ottoman historiography, I show that for most proponents of Ottoman pragmatism, pragmatism pertains to politics rather than to the political. From a perspective rigorously confined to political theory, I argue that much like the discourse of modern tolerance, pragmatism in Ottoman historiography posits a problematic periodization, relegates the political to the background, and depoliticizes essential power relations.     

PREDICTION OF DAMAGE IN R/C SHEAR PANELS SUBJECTED TO REVERSED CYCLIC LOADING

In this paper, the damage prediction of shear-dominated reinforced concrete (RC) elements subjected to reversed cyclic shear is presented using an existing damage model. The damage model is primarily based on the monotonic energy dissipating capacity of structural elements before and after the application of reversed cyclic loading. Therefore, it could be universally applicable to different types of structural members, includeing shear-dominated RC members. The applicability of the damage model to shear-dominated RC members is assessed using the results from reversed cyclic shear load tests conducted earlier on eleven RC panels. First, the monotonic energy dissipating capacities of the panels before and after the application of reversed cyclic loading are estimated and employed in the damage model. Next, a detailed comparison between the analytically predicted damage and the observed damage from the experimental tests of the panels is performed throughout the loading history. Subsequently, the effects of two important parameters, the orientation and the percentage of reinforcement, on the damage of such shear-dominated panels are studied. The research results demonstrated that the analytically predicted damage is in reasonably good agreement with the observed damage throughout the entire loading history. Furthermore, the orientation and percentage of reinforcement is found to have considerable effect on the extent of damage.