This course offers to examine the history and condition
of Christians -- a majority of whom
were the Greek Orthodox people (Rum) --
in Anatolia and the Balkans under the Ottoman
Empire. From some basic concepts of non-
Muslim historiography (such as zımmi or millet),
the course will move to the various ways
in which historians have interpreted the Christian
presence under Ottoman rule. Byzantium as
a state was very closely associated with
Orthodox Christianity and the Greek language.
What did its demise mean for Orthodox
Christians and their institutions ? How did
Ottoman social, economic and administrative
structures absorb and influence Christians; in turn,
how did they participate in producing and
re-producing the imperial framework ? Special
attention will be paid to : communal life and
institutions, the place of Christians in Ottoman
administration and imperial networks, the
Phanariots, the rise of the Greek bourgeoisie,
the emergence of the Greek nation-state,
Greek education, and the contribution of Christians
to Ottoman urban space and
architecture.
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