Ottoman World: A Cultural History Reader, 1450–1700

by Hakan T. Karateke (editor), Helga Anetshofer (Editor)

The Ottoman lands, which extended from modern Hungary to the Arabian peninsula, were home to a vast population with a rich variety of cultures. The Ottoman World is the first primary source reader to bring a wide and diverse set of voices across Ottoman society into the classroom. Written in many languages—not only Ottoman Turkish but also Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, and Persian—these texts, here translated, span the extent of the early modern Ottoman empire, from the 1450s to 1700.
 
Instructors are supplied with narratives conveying the lived experiences of individuals through texts that highlight human variety and accelerate a trend away from a state-centric approach to Ottoman history. In addition, samples from court registers, legends, biographical accounts, hagiographies, short stories, witty anecdotes, jokes, and lampoons provide exciting glimpses into popular mindsets in Ottoman society. By reflecting new directions in the scholarship with an innovative choice of texts, this collection provides a vital resource for teachers and students.

 

403 pages, Hardcover

Published November 2, 2021

About the author

Hakan T. Karateke (PhD, Bamberg University) is Professor of Ottoman and Turkish Culture, Language, and Literature at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Evliya Çelebi’s Journey from Bursa to the Dardanelles and Edirne (2013) and an article titled “The Rosy History of Jews in the Ottoman Empire: A Critical Approach to Jewish Historiography.”

Reviews

[Mills College Library]

956.015 O918 2021