Tarihsel Bir Zihniyet Karşılaştırması: Avrupa ve Osmanlı’da Salgın Hastalıklara ve Karantinaya Genel Yaklaşım

Abstract

Epidemics have historically been devastating disasters that affected not only the health and daily lives of individuals but also the fate of states and societies. In both Europe and the Ottoman world, epidemics were long perceived as a form of divine punishment or providential decree; consequently, metaphysical means of protection such as prayers, amulets, talismans, and collective religious ceremonies came to the forefront. Attitudes and responses during epidemic periods were shaped not only by religious beliefs but also by various factors, including economic structures, traditions, cultural characteristics, communal identities, and social status. The fear and uncertainty generated by epidemics produced similar socio-psychological reactions across societies, often leading to the stigmatization and exclusion of certain groups as “scapegoats.” In this respect, epidemics should be understood not merely as medical phenomena but also as processes reflecting human behavior, transformations in collective mentality, and institutional changes within states. While quarantine practices that emerged in Venice and Ragusa (Dubrovnik) during the second half of the fourteenth century gradually developed into an institutionalized public health strategy in Europe, their official adoption throughout the Ottoman Empire occurred only in the mid-nineteenth century. This delay was influenced not only by fatalistic attitudes but also by the economic constraints imposed on trade and by social prejudices that regarded quarantine as a “Frankish invention.” This study comparatively examines the mentalities of Christian Europe and the Ottoman-Islamic world toward epidemics and quarantine practices.