The Ottoman East in the Nineteenth Century ─ Societies, Identities and Politics

The Ottoman East—what is also called ‘Western Armenia’, ‘Northern Kurdistan’ or ‘Eastern Anatolia’—compared to other peripheries of the Ottoman Empire, has received very little attention in Ottoman historiography. So-called taboo subjects such as the fate of Ottoman Armenians and the ‘Kurdish Question’ during the latter years of the Ottoman Empire have contributed to this dearth of analysis. By integrating the Armenian and Kurdish elements into the study of the Ottoman Empire, this book seeks to emphasise the interaction of different ethno-religious groups. As an area where Ottoman centralization faced unsurpassable challenges, the Ottoman East offers an ideal opportunity to examine an alternative social and political model for imperial governance and the means by which provincial rule interacted with the Ottoman centre. Discussing vital issues across this geographical area, such as trade routes, regional economic trends, migration patterns and the molding of local and national identities, this book offers a unique and fresh approach to the history and politics of modernization and empire in the wider region.

Ali Sipahi holds a PhD in Anthropology and History from the University of Michigan.