Venetians in Constantinople: Nation, Identity, and Coexistence in the Early Modern Mediterranean

by Eric R. Dursteler

Historian Eric R Dursteler reconsiders identity in the early modern world to illuminate Veneto-Ottoman cultural interaction and coexistence, challenging the model of hostile relations and suggesting instead a more complex understanding of the intersection of cultures. Although dissonance and strife were certainly part of this relationship, he argues, coexistence and cooperation were more common. Moving beyond the "clash of civilizations" model that surveys the relationship between Islam and Christianity from a geopolitical perch, Dursteler analyzes the lived reality by focusing on a localized the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople. While factors such as religion, culture, and political status could be integral elements in constructions of self and community, Dursteler finds early modern identity to be more than the sum total of its constitutent parts and reveals how the fluidity and malleability of identity in this time and place made coexistence among disparate cultures possible.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published March 29, 2006

About the author

Professor of History at Brigham Young University

Reviews

[Victoria]

Really enjoyed this. Working against an essentialist framework, Dursteler argues that identity was socially constructed with reference to religious, national, ethnic, cultural (etc.) categories, which were mutable and more easily permeated than the "clash of civilizations" suggests possible. Interesting prosopography of the Venetian national community in Constantinople; have a feeling that this may be the kind of book I want to write. Have yet to think through possible criticisms.

[Jack Taccons]

Rigoroso lavoro di ricerca storica, la cui tesi è ben argomentata e risulta molto convincente: in sostanza, le categorie fisse - che tendono a separare l'identità individuali nell'early modern - non permettono di cogliere la complessità di questo fenomeno; l'identità non è qualcosa di determinato a priori, piuttosto è un processo dinamico in continuo divenire - fenomeno che si può apprezzare in particolar modo analizzando l'enclave veneziana di Costantinopoli e le persone che vi gravitavano attorno. Le testimonianze a sostegno della tesi sono notevoli, e dimostrano un grande lavoro di ricerca. Forse un po' ripetitivo in alcuni passaggi, ma merita assolutamente una lettura.

[John Ward]

More of a 3.5 than a 4. It is a discussion that wants to change the narrative to highlight the Mediterranean mosaic of diversity as opposed to the perceived isolation in previous histories. A little too micro. Needed more on business, day to day life and the intermingling that occurred.

[Burak Karaben]

İstanbul araştırmacısının başucu kitabı olması gerekenlerden.

[John]

A masterpiece! This author is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! ; )