Welcome to Ottoman Social History! My name is Jenna Dur and I recently travelled to Koc University in Istanbul to study History. Almost immediately I fell in love with learning about the Ottoman Empire. After returning to UBC I was dismayed to find that there were no courses offered on this fascinating and extremely pertinent subject. I am thrilled by the interest and enthusiasm in Ottoman History and look forward to an engaging and enlightening semester!
Me in the lovely and historically fascinating Hagia Sophia
Course Description:
At its height, the Ottoman Empire was extremely vast and spread over Eastern Europe, Anatolia, the Middle East and Northern Africa. Throughout its almost 500 years of existence, the Empire had an immense influence on the areas it ruled and colonized. Although the Ottoman Empire was founded on principles of expansionism and conquest, unlike other European Empires it also tolerated religious difference. This course will examine the social differences and diversity in this far-reaching empire by exploring the urban histories of major cities within the Ottoman Empire throughout its long history. The course will be centered on social history, focusing on the lived experience of the people in a particular period. Topics will include religious practices and myth, popular imagination, palace life, entertainment, gender roles and more. As such, the course will utilize primary source material whenever possible including travel narratives. For example, Evliya Celebi traveled throughout the Empire in the seventeenth century and wrote fantastical narratives about the peoples and customs he encountered. A comparative historical approach will be used when relevant to examine the interactions between the great European Empires/powers and the Ottoman Empire.
The course does not presume any prior knowledge in Ottoman, Middle Eastern or European history although a background in history and historical thinking will be helpful.
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