State Formation and Empire: State and Society in the Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Empire - Detailseite

This seminar introduces students to the range of theoretical and historical studies on theories of empire. During the last two decades a new discussion on state formation and empire has emerged. This literature has created an understanding of empire as the politics of multi-culturalism, rule of law, and administrative decentralization and privatization. This new scholarship, also tried to analyze not only western colonialism but also classical empires like Russia, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire; however the discussions on the late Ottoman Empire were very limited. In this seminar, based on the theoretical readings and classroom discussions we will try to develop a critical perspective on Ottoman governing practices of the comparative political geographies with a particular attention to concepts of empire and imperial politics in the late 19. Century Ottoman Empire.