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Ottoman Empire
Imperial Legacy: The Ottoman Imprint on the Balkans and the Middle East
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Imperial Legacy |
The term "Ottoman" does not often evoke a positive response. Few empires have been as villified as this one. Detractors include its own Muslim subjects - a majority of the intelligentsia I would venture - who accuse the empire of being responsible for their current backwardness. The heirs of its former Christian subjects perceive it as a long era of oppression. The heirs of its former Christian rivals see it as the embodiement of Islamic expansionism, an alien Asiatic, Oriental, Turkic state which threatened Europe. Few identify the Ottoman Empire as a direct part of their own heritage.
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Posted by Shaheen at 09:57 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
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The Ottoman Gulf |
This neat little volume is a good companion to more general works about the creation of the modern Middle East, such as David Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace. It traces the short-lived revival of Ottoman authority in the upper Persian Gulf, from its aggressive and promising start on the heels of the Tanzimat Reforms in the latter half of the 19th century, to its gradual retreat again in the early 20th. This re-expansion of a what had always been a rarely exercised authority was incomplete to begin with. It never reached as far as the British influenced 'Trucial States' (the future UAE), extending tentatively south only to frequently besieged Qatar, which traded one distant and somewhat ineffective protector for another.
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Posted by Tamerlane at 10:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Ottoman Seapower and Levantine Diplomacy in the Age of Discovery
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Ottoman Seapower and Levantine Diplomacy in the Age of Discovery (S U N Y Series in the Social and Economic History of the Middle East) |
The title here is perhaps just a bit of an overstatement. The "Age of Discovery" is variously defined, but it generally covers a rather broader span of time than this work is concerned with. The main focus here is the first decades of the 16th century, charting the complex political and economic interrelationships between the dominant Ottoman state, the badly declined Mamelukes, the rising Safavids in Persia and Venice, as they all jockeyed uneasily with each other and reacted to Portuguese expansionism in the Indian Ocean. But despite this narrow time frame, this is a very interesting study than attempts to address a broader theme. Brummett's primary thesis is that the Ottoman sultanate, contrary to the older view of a state interested primarily in land revenue and hence pure territorial aggrandizement, was a far more sophisticated player in the international trade market than it is usually given credit for. In her view control and participation in the Red Sea and Persian trade routes threatened by Portugal and the rise of Safavid Shi'ism, as well as economic investment in the Mediterranean grain trade, formed a major impetus to Ottoman diplomacy.
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Posted by Tamerlane at 08:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A History of Iraq
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A History of Iraq |
This book looks at events in Iraq from the end of the Ottoman era to just before the country's invasion. Among the recurring (and very relevant) themes of the book are the causes and consequences of the historical Sunni dominance of Iraq as a whole and the officer corps of the army in particular, the vertical cleavages between Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds, the importance of tribal affiliations, the role of the Shia clerics in leading opposition to the government, and Shia and Kurdish demands for autonomy. The book also has some explanations for why Saddam's regime turned out to be the way it was. It's well-written and worth a read for anyone interested in Iraq. It also serves as a reminder that there can be no quick fixes in the country.
Posted by dubaiwalla at 05:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
All the Pashas Men: Mehmed Ali His Army and the Making of Modern Egypt
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All the Pashas Men: Mehmed Ali His Army and the Making of Modern Egypt |
This book investigates how a "defensive developmentalist" (in this case Mehmet Ali Pasha in Egypt) organized his army and in the process transformed the country.
Posted by raf* at 07:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon
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The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon |
Guess what - them X-ians & Muslims & Druze haven't been at each other's throats since "time immemorial". Sectarianism started in the mid-19th century and is a modern phenomenon.
Posted by raf* at 07:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Imperial Harem : Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire
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The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire (Studies in Middle Eastern History) |
One of the books that put an end to all the rubbish about "weak Sultans & strong mothers". This one is readable.
Posted by raf* at 07:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908-1918
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Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908-1918 |
The e-book version is free of charge.
Posted by raf* at 07:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire
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An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914 2 volume set (paperback) (Economic & Social History of the Ottoman Empire) |
For "advanced" students of the Middle East, this dense two-volume collection is perfect for background reading and reference. Should not be opened by beginners - the danger of turning them off the region is simply too great.
Posted by raf* at 07:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922
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The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 (New Approaches to European History) |
The sequel to Goffman's book. Good, post-nationalist overview.
Posted by raf* at 06:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe
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The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe (New Approaches to European History) |
Part of a new approach that links the Ottoman Empire (& thus the MENA region) again with European history.
Posted by raf* at 06:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Constructing Ottoman Beneficence: An Imperial Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem
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Constructing Ottoman Beneficence: An Imperial Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem (Suny Series in Near Eastern Studies) |
Probably better categorized under Ottoman history, as though it discusses the concept of the waqf briefly in the context of Islamic law, it is mostly a fascinating discourse on the establisment and function of charitable institutions in the Ottoman system in particular. Still, it's an interesting little volume that covers a little known element in the social history of the region and of a particular institution that has endured from the 16th century through to today.
Posted by Tamerlane at 06:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey
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History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 1, Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280-1808 |
Shaw's two volumes (second volume available here) are a good example of the kind of nationalist history so prevalent in the 2nd half of the 20th century. From the vantage point of modern Turkey, he is attempting to trace how Ottoman/Turkish history arrived at this outcome, and thus - particularly in the 2nd volume - predicates the "modernizers".
Posted by raf* at 06:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
