Minorities in the Ottoman Empire

Minorities in the Ottoman Empire Synopsis

The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state encompassing most of the modern Middle East and for much of its 600-year existence managed to rule its diverse peoples effectively. The study of minorities in the Ottoman Empire traditionally has had a narrow, statecentered focus or has ignored the state completely. Religious diversity has been examined in terms of institutions imposed by the state while communal histories have presented a picture of self-regulating and autonomous communities divorced from their Ottoman context. The authors of this book move beyond these approaches and instead seek to explore the unknown terrain that falls between the internal life of the community and the formal structures of the state. Topics in this volume include the fiscal functions of territorial communities on the Greek mainland in the 18th century; the use of Islamic courts by the religious minorities of Istanbul; the relationship of religion and urban segregation in Damascus; and the life of a Jewish educator in Edirne in the 19th century.