Academic Catalog

HIST570 OTTOMAN URBAN HISTORY

Course Code: 2400570
METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): 3(3-0)
ECTS Credit: 8.0
Department: History
Language of Instruction: English
Level of Study: Graduate
Course Coordinator:
Offered Semester: Fall or Spring Semesters.

Course Content

This course is designed for a detailed analysis of the Ottoman urban history in early modern era. The course will concentrate on Anatolian and Arab cities in Ottoman period. The course will focus on three interrelated issues. The first one is the state of current paradigms concerning Middle Eastern cities. The second is the nature of social and economic networks that enabled harmonious relations between various ethno-religious groups living in Ottoman cities. For this end, special attention will be given to social and economic life from a communal perspective. The third issue is the family networks that form the second tier in communal bonds. Published primary sources concerning Ottoman urban history will be extensively employed for a deeper understanding of the urban fabric. The main aim of the course will be an analysis of private and communal networks that could provide a basis for a critical re-evaluation of contemporary literature on Middle Eastern cities.