The existence of modern-day Türkiye has historically functioned as a paradoxical entity subjected to both the notions of imperial expansion (the Ottoman Empire) and decolonisation. This trait has made the nation - and other states it politically and religiously influenced - produce post-colonial literature that is unique in terms of its approach to the themes of nationalism, Pan-Islamism, and the "colonial gaze on the oriental world". My research catalogues and analyses travelogues of three distinct authors Halide Edib, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, and Shiela Nu'mani - coupled with supporting research articles, as they travel across the Islamic world and note how the community struggles to reconnect with the remnants of its historic glory. It also highlights the rifts and common agendas inherent to these Muslim communities, and how their national and religious philosophies influence their perception of one another, the European world, and the broader Muslim diaspora.
Acknowledgements: This work of mine started off with summer research and later morphed into my senior-year thesis for my English/Asian Studies double-major.