Suchergebnisse

This is a short introduction into the DFG-funded project Letters to the Sheikh, dedicated to the history of Central Oman viewed through the letters in the archive of a local elite family, the ʿAbrīyīn from the oasis of al-Ḥamrāʾ.

AbstractDuring the late Ottoman period the city of Gaza was caught up in internal political strife. The city's elite families tended to operate within rival factions while trying to draw Istanbul into its internal conflicts. In this context, they formed complex relationships with the elite of Jerusalem that dominated Palestine's politics, as well as with peasants and Bedouins in Gaza's hinterland. The article presents the first systematic account of factional strife in Gaza during the period. In addition, it examines what caused the internal divisions in Gaza to be so severe and considers whether factionalism also played out in the urban space. It is argued that (1) the severity of this factionalism derived from the rising stakes resulting from imperial politics and economic benefits, and (2) factionalism and urban development interacted with each other, leading to a particular type of 'spatialized factionalism'. We suggest that this perspective can lead to a better understanding of both urban politics and urban development in other towns and cities in the Ottoman Empire's Arab provinces.

In this paper we argue that historians of the eastern Arab lands (Ar.al-mashriq al-ʿarabī) should turn their attention to the Bedouins for two main reasons. First, the societies in the Arab East cannot be adequately understood without a full evaluation of their Bedouin component, especially outside urban areas. Second, studying the Bedouins can open new perspectives on important debates in Middle Eastern historiography. The paper further contends that the arid lands of the Arab East still need to be explored as a historical region with its own distinct patterns of regional connectivity and political organisation. Finally, we highlight environmental history and the study of emic categories as promising avenues for future research on this region.

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Table of Contents -- Body -- Abbreviations -- List of Illustrations -- Stephan Conermann / Gül Şen: Slavery is Not Slavery: On Slaves and Slave Agency in the Ottoman Empire, Introduction -- What is a Slave in the Ottoman Empire? -- Slave Agency in the Ottoman Empire -- Bibliography -- General Considerations -- Ehud R. Toledano: Models of Global Enslavement -- Some Early Leading Models -- Some Recent Models -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Comparative Perspectives -- Suraiya Faroqhi: Slave Agencies Compared: The Ottoman and Mughal Empires -- Slave Agency: The Legal System and the Production of Sources -- Classifying the Sultans' Kul: To What Extent Were ˋElite Slaves' Really Slaves? -- Military Slavery -- Female Slaves, Within and Without the Imperial Ottoman Harem -- Female Slaves in Indian Empires and Principalities -- The Ambiguous Positions of Eunuchs -- A Provisional Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Sources -- Studies -- Christoph Witzenrath: Agency in Muscovite Archives: Trans-Ottoman Slaves Negotiating the Moscow Administration -- Muscovy and the Steppe -- Serfs, Slave Raids and the Muscovite Border Regime -- Slavery and Islam in Eurasia -- A Sunni Consensus -- Interagency and Loyalty -- Political Theology of Slavery and Redemption -- Petitions of Returning Slaves and Captives -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Sources -- Studies -- Gül Şen: Galley Slaves and Agency: The Driving Force of the Ottoman Fleet -- How Useful is the Concept of Agency for Approaching Galley Slavery? -- Galley Slavery as a Common Practice in the Mediterranean -- The Imperial Arsenal and the Imperial Fleet: The Inexhaustible Need for Oarsmen -- Deployment of Oarsmen -- Manning the Galleys: A Challenge for the Officials -- Capture -- Volunteers -- Tax Obligations -- Punishment for Criminals -- Impressment by Press Gangs -- Tracing Agency.