Bøger om Historical states & empires

The political identities of the Turkish working class began a transformative journey that started during a period of industrialization following World War II and continued until the military interventions of 1960. Working Class Formation in Turkey addresses common, structural generalizations to recover the complex history of developing political, recreational, familial, residential, and work-related lives of Turkish workers. Drawing on a wide range of historical sources, this volume brings the concept of "everydayness" to the fore and uncovers the local contexts that fostered class solidarity, examines labor practices that fueled radicalism, and analyzes the shifting dynamics of industrial discipline that impacted working class identity and culture.

"A comprehensive reassessment of the legal aspects of the colonate, situating the phenomenon within its socio-economic context. It examines afresh two critical sources, the Theodosian and Justinian Codes, and is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Roman law and the agricultural and social history of late antiquity"--

"Theodore Metochites (1270-1328) is one of the most important writers, thinkers, and statemen of the Byzantine Empire. Metochites and his rival Nikephoros Choumnos (1250-1327) animated the philosophical and cultural debate in Constantinople in the early fourteenth century. Each held the title of mesazon, a powerful position in the Byzantine government, and both men were active just before the controversy concerning the "divine light" and mystic contemplation (Hesychasm) that broke out in 1340. They had become monks before the synods were gathered to decide whether Gregory Palamas was Orthodox or not, resulting in his victory (Synods of Constantinople of 1341, 1347, 1351). Metochites is famous for his artistic patronage of the Monastery of Saint Saviour in Chora (Kariye Camii), where he retired. The monastery's mosaics and frescoes are among the greatest witnesses to Byzantine aesthetics. Metochites's writings are significant in the Byzantine era and are presented in this volume by some of the principal specialists of his work"--

A tribute to Henry W. Sullivan in celebration of his 80th birthday, this volume encompasses a wide spectrum of Hispanic literary scholarship to honor a prolific scholar whose contributions have been extensive, not only as a Golden Age Hispanist but also as a devoted Lacanian scholar, literary critic, translator, poet, novelist, playwright, and composer. The title of the collection comes directly from Sullivan¿s recent study on tragic drama in the Golden Age of Spain. Even though the ¿ghost¿ he attempts to lay there is the critical controversy around defining and classifying tragedy among Spanish classic comedias, the label extends and applies to Sullivan¿s lifelong commitment to the relevance of Spanish drama of the Golden Age within the universal canon, especially from an English-language perspective. Moreover, his arguments are easily applicable in defense of the Humanities and the significance of Literature amid the unwelcome structural changes in Academia.

Nicholas of Cusa (1401¿1464), thinker, polymath, and cardinal, had a long-standing interest in Islam. To date, however, no work has satisfactorily dealt with his volatile attitude towards the Islamic faith and the Ottoman Turks. This book revisits Nicholas of Cusäs attitude towards Islam, criticizing previous work that has overlooked Cusäs involvement in preparations for a crusade, and the significance of Cusäs polemical A Scrutiny of the Koran (Cribratio Alkorani) of 1461. The book also addresses the prevailing image of Cusa as a dove of peace and champion of interreligious dialogue, and suggests an alternative and more complex picture which takes account of Cusäs crusading activities and his attitude towards Muslims and Jews.A significant new study, Nicolas of Cusa and Mohammed will appeal to students and scholars interested in the Renaissance, Humanism, church¿state relations, the history of the crusades, and Nicholas of Cusäs life and works."Nathan Ron sets the record straight about Nicholas of Cusa as so-called pioneer of ¿inter-religious dialogue¿ based on a close reading of the irenic Peace of Faith and the polemical Scrutiny of the Koran, together with his role in mounting a crusade for Pope Pius II."¿Gerald Christianson, Professor Emeritus of Church History, United Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg; Past President, American Cusanus Society"Nicholas of Cusa often is presented as a champion of interreligious dialogue. This book rightly brings to the fore Cusanus¿ often harsh polemic against Islam and his role in Pius II¿s crusade against the Turks."¿Thomas Izbicki, Humanities librarian emeritus, Rutgers University

The construction of Eurasia is a challenge for analysts due to its rapid progress from a Europe Asia Meeting (ASEM, 1996+) to a Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU, 2015+), an applied cross-continental Land New Silk Road since 2013-2015. Yet, in the same period, the crisis around Ukraine (2014+), a gradual then hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan by ISAF forces (2011-2021), the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (2015), now a full member of the SCO since 2021¿ diplomatic decisions and interstate practical schemes seem to exceed the capacity of observers to theorise quickly enough what is happening. Conceptually, Eurasia is experiencing a mix of centripetal evolutions at its peripheries ¿ Europe and East-Asia ¿ and a launch of centrifugal dynamics from its core ¿ Russia and Central Asia.The present book¿s ambitious title The Completion of Eurasia ?, which could be subtitled in the face of pressing challenges, explores a concentration of diverse ¿ yet equally complex ¿ issues grouped into four main clusters: organisational and diplomatic competition, logistical and infrastructural challenges, grasping the concept of Eurasia, making sense of historic turns. It provides a multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral understanding of what Eurasia ¿is¿ in its essence, despite historical turmoil and pressing insecurity issues.This book completes a series of publications by the Europe-Asia research network formed in the late 2000s. Originally based in Europe (Le Havre, France), this network is moving to Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan).

The Sivas Congress is the second book in The Turkish National Resistance series. It provides abundant detail in its formation, the players, Mustafa Kemal Paşa and his thinking at the time, why he did what he did, and the situation in the country at that time. This book is translated from Turkish and was used as a reference by many English-speaking and prominent authors. The objective is to make this book available to a wider audience.

This book casts light on a much neglected phase of the UNESCO world heritage site of Palmyra, namely the period between the fall of the Palmyrene 'Empire' (AD 272) and the end of the Umayyad dominion (AD 750).

"Gordion is a paramount site for understanding the culture of central Anatolia over more than 3,000 years, from the Bronze Age to the Medieval period, but is most renowned for its Iron Age horizon, when it was royal capital of the mighty Phrygian kingdom. The hundreds of bone and ivory artifacts excavated at Gordion constitute a highly diverse body of material, and this publication presents one of the largest and most important assemblages of its kind in the Near East. The artifacts give remarkable insight into the tools used in crafts and manufacturing processes, a variety of decorative items, the artistic developments among local craftspeople, as well as indications of trading connections with other regions to the east and west. Ivory was a highly valued material used for decorative pieces in many areas around the eastern Mediterranean. The objects from Gordion are a significant addition to this corpus and illustrate both widely dispersed features common in other contemporary ivory-working centers, as well as the singular motifs and styles that developed in the Phrygian milieu. A unique assemblage of ivory horse trappings from the Early Phrygian Citadel are an important illustration of this cultural confluence. While bone was primarily used for strictly utilitarian objects, there are numerous pieces that show this lowly material could be used for high quality items such as inlays set into the wooden furniture exceptionally attested at Gordion. Even the lowly sheep knuckle bone (astragal) decorated with incised designs and letters give a glimpse into the daily life in the community"--

Since the beginning of his rise to power, Chinggis Khan used matrimonial relations between the members of his family and his allies in order to strengthen his support base and to expand the potential of his army. Whereas research has discussed in detail the history of the Chinggisid women, the role of their male non-Chinggisid counterparts - the imperial sons-in-law (Mon. güregen, Ch. fuma ¿¿), mostly the powerful military commanders - is still an under-researched topic.In his monograph, Ishayahu Landa for the first time provides a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the Chinggisid in-laws, approaching them as a separate political institution with its own status, privileges, and ambitions, which played a crucial role in underpinning the Mongol rule across the continent. The monograph is unique in its combined usage of Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Latin and Old Slavonic primary sources as well as its temporal scope, ranging from the early thirteenth century to the period of the Chinggisid Crisis and beyond. The monograph will be of interest for specialists in Mongol, Chinese, Islamic, Russian, and global histories, as well as in the field of Gender Studies, and nomadic history and ethnography. At the same time, it covers an important aspect of the power structure behind the Chinggisid expansion, its maintenance of power from Korea to the Black Sea, as well as its decline.

Investigates the Alevis' struggles for recognition in Turkey and the diaspora and transformations in authority and traditional rituals This book explores the struggles of a minority group - Alevis - for recognition and representation in Turkey and the diaspora. It examines how they mobilise against state practices and claim their rights, while at the same time negotiating how they define themselves. The authors offers a conceptual framework to study minorities by looking at both structural and agency-related factors in resisting state pressure and mobilising for their rights. The Alevis in Modern Turkey and the Diaspora is divided into three main sections looking into: the Turkish state and society's pressures over Alevis; how Alevis struggle and obtain representation in various Western countries; and how traditional authority and rituals transform under these conditions. Studying this minority group's experience helps to understand oppression and resistance in the broader Middle East. Key Features  14 detailed case studies provide insights into the struggles for recognition and representation by Alevi communities in Turkey and the diaspora under the AKP administration  Demonstrates how the struggles for recognition transform and re-define traditions, authorities and rituals  Examines how diverse understandings of Alevi identities interplay with standardised representations of Alevism  Opens up the study of the recognition of minorities as local, national and transnational processes Derya Özkul is a Research Officer at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford. Hege Markussen is a Researcher in History of Religions at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University.

Without the Byzantine Empire, there never would have been Western civilization.Western civilization is generally regarded as the child of Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome. That is, in the West, our philosophical and political thought is derived from that of the ancient Greeks; our Christian religion comes from the Jewish religion, and both of these came to us via the Roman Empire and the civilization and culture it created. Western society has other forefathers as well: we would be unwise to give the Byzantine Empire short shrift. The ways in which it has influenced our world for the good, and indeed, created the parameters of our society at its healthiest and strongest, are insufficiently appreciated today. In its confusion, uncertainty, and lack of direction, the West has lost its way. There is a great deal it can, and should, learn from Byzantium. If the United States were to last as long as the Roman Empire, including its Byzantine period, it would have to continue as an independent country, with political and cultural continuity, until the year 2899. To maintain a unified nation state for over eleven hundred years is a remarkable achievement by any standard, and the Romans accomplished it while facing existential threats and efforts to extinguish their polity during virtually every period of their existence. Now, nearly six hundred years after the demise of the empire, its influence still resonates in a number of fields, albeit almost entirely unnoticed and unappreciated. There is no arguing with success. It’s time we took notice.

This book examines the Kurdish movement in the context of total social movement theory. First tracing its origins as a conventionally nationalist movement, Elsa Sen draws upon Alan Touraine's concept of a total social movement to argue that from 2000 to 2015 the Kurds in Turkey pursued a policy of engaging in a peace process, channeling energy into civil society activism and electoral campaigns, and promoting an inclusive understanding of national identity for all the components of Turkish society - not just the Kurds - in a hypothetically fully functioning democracy. Both theoretically informed and drawing upon empirical research in the form of interviews with Kurdish and Turkish activists, non-activists and political representatives, the book provides a new perspective on contemporary Kurdish politics as oscillating between nationalist and social movement paradigms, with the recent decline of the latter due to the resumption of military action by the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party after 2015.

A fascinating history of China's relations with the West--told through the lives of two eighteenth-century translators The 1793 British embassy to China, which led to Lord George Macartney's fraught encounter with the Qianlong emperor, has often been viewed as a clash of cultures fueled by the East's lack of interest in the West. In The Perils of Interpreting, Henrietta Harrison presents a more nuanced picture, ingeniously shifting the historical lens to focus on Macartney's two interpreters at that meeting--Li Zibiao and George Thomas Staunton. Who were these two men? How did they intervene in the exchanges that they mediated? And what did these exchanges mean for them? From Galway to Chengde, and from political intrigues to personal encounters, Harrison reassesses a pivotal moment in relations between China and Britain. She shows that there were Chinese who were familiar with the West, but growing tensions endangered those who embraced both cultures and would eventually culminate in the Opium Wars. Harrison demonstrates that the Qing court's ignorance about the British did not simply happen, but was manufactured through the repression of cultural go-betweens like Li and Staunton. She traces Li's influence as Macartney's interpreter, the pressures Li faced in China as a result, and his later years in hiding. Staunton interpreted successfully for the British East India Company in Canton, but as Chinese anger grew against British imperial expansion in South Asia, he was compelled to flee to England. Harrison contends that in silencing expert voices, the Qing court missed an opportunity to gain insights that might have prevented a losing conflict with Britain. Uncovering the lives of two overlooked figures, The Perils of Interpreting offers an empathic argument for cross-cultural understanding in a connected world.

After the defeat at Colenso, the Natal Field Force under General Buller needed to break through the Boer lines and relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. Buller's army marched westwards, crossed the Tugela River at Trichardt's Drift and Potgieter's Drift, and from 17-27 January 1900 fought the Boers with artillery and infantry attacks. These significant and prolonged battles have largely been ignored because of the horror of Spion Kop (Spioenkop) on 24 January. Yet Spion Kop began as a small flank attack - only a tenth of the British force were initially involved, and only 300 Boers counter-attacked.This book is the culmination of years of study, and correctly places Spioenkop in the context of the larger campaign. The author uses battlefield archaeology and eyewitness accounts of Boer and British participants to create a highly original and detailed account. This book also serves as a battlefield guide to Tabanyama and Spioenkop, providing detailed maps and numerous GPS locations.

The Battle of Megiddo was not only the last large cavalry offensive in world history, but also a tribute to combined arms operations fostered over the course of the First World War. Fought between 19-25 September 1918, it was the final Allied offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The contending forces were the British Empire's EEF (Egyptian Expeditionary Force) of three infantry and one mounted corps pitted against the Ottoman-German Yildirim Army Group which numbered three weak armies with the approximate total strength of a single enemy corps. Comparable to what General Erich von Ludendorff called the 'Black Day' of the German Army (opening of the Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918) on the Western Front, the complete Ottoman defeat would have been impossible without the application of superior logistics. Whilst Megiddo did not determine the outcome of the war in the Middle East, the ramifications of the victory decisively shaped the post-war world in the region.

An epic account of how a new world order under Tamerlane was born out of the decline of the Mongol Empire

In 1458 George of Trebizond transferred the Plato-Aristotle controversy from the Byzantine world to the Latin by publishing his Comparatio Philosophorum Platonis et Aristotelis et Praestantia Aristotelis, a full-scale attack on Plato and the Platonic tradition from antiquity to the present day, ending with a violent diatribe on the dangers posed by the influence of Cardinal Bessarion's recently deceased teacher, George Gemistus Pletho. To respond, Bessarion knew that he would have to do so in Latin, but in actuality, he composed his response in Greek and then translated it into Latin. The result was the Liber Defensionum contra Obiectiones in Platonem, which was ready for publication by 1466. At that point, however, he withdrew it from publication in order to expand its content as well as to refine its Latinity. Bessarion's response finally appeared in 1469 as the In Calumniatorem Platonis. But it was in the Liber Defensionum that Bessarion made his major decisions on what to include as well as what to exclude from his original Greek text and exactly how he would render the Greek into Latin. Thus, to understand the language and structure of the In Calumniatorem Platonis one must turn first to the Liber Defensionum.

The book presents the nine oldest Ottoman documents from the archives of the Monastery of Great Meteoron, which are among the oldest known so far original Ottoman documents worldwide. These sources are published for the first time. Their palaeographical and diplomatics analysis accompanying the edition of the texts aspires to contribute to the overall picture of early Ottoman paleography and diplomatics in a critical period covering the late 14th and early 15th centuries. In addition, in the historical analysis of the documents, issues related to the early Ottoman prosopography, the problem of the seat of the Ottoman ruler, and topics regarding the local history (i.e. Thessaly, and Meteora monasteries) of the period are addressed.

Reveals the importance of social networks and identities to defining Highland Scots' engagements with Empire and its lasting legacies This is a book about the social in Highland entanglements with Empire - the networks, relationships and identities that made it possible for Highland Scots to access the Empire and its benefits. It explores - from a range of perspectives - the impact that these Scots had, as sojourners and settlers, on the different places they encountered. It is also a book about the present-day legacies of their engagements with Empire, and of the ongoing process of forging social and cultural identities with Highland roots. The book represents a significant contribution to our understanding of the role of Highland Scots, influenced by their culture and language, in creating the Empire and its legacies. It advances knowledge of just how diverse the impacts of Highland Scots were on forging landscapes and lifescapes across the Atlantic, and how their exposure to the colonial world influenced and reshaped their Diasporic identities. While the British Empire was a collaboration of diverse interests, this book will shed light on one important interest: the Highland one. Key features  Individual chapters that suit individual specialisms, while still being accessible to readers from other disciplines/professions  Important (re)considerations of understudied perspectives and areas of scholarship, presenting new histories of under-studied social groups or situations and new insight on social networks and entanglements as a key aspect of Empire  International material to allow comparison and contextualisation and broaden readerships S. Karly Kehoe is Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary's University in Nova Scotia. Her work concentrates on Scottish and Irish Catholic settlement and colonisation in the north Atlantic. Chris Dalglish is a Director of Inherit, the Institute for Heritage and Sustainable Human Development, which is part of a UK-based charity, the York Archaeological Trust. Annie Tindley is Professor of British and Irish Rural History at Newcastle University and Head of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Her work interrogates land issues in the modern period including ownership, management and reform.

"Multiracial Britishness explores how British subjects of different 'races' collectively shaped what it means to be British today, focusing on 1910-45 Hong Kong. This book reframes the discussion about British identities and colonial Hong Kong, with clear implications for understanding Hong Kong's decolonisation, Brexit, and the Commonwealth"--

The history of Tanzimat in the Ottoman Empire has largely been narrated as a unique period of equality, reform, and progress, often framing it as the backdrop to modern Turkey. Inspired by Walter Benjamin's exhortation to study the oppressed to understand the rule and the ruler, Talin Suciyan reexamines this era from the perspective of the Armenians. In exploring the temporal and territorial differences between the Ottoman capital and the provinces, Suciyan brings the unheard voices of Armenians into the present. Drawing upon the rich archival materials in both the Archives of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Ottoman Archives, Suciyan uses these to show the integral role Armenians played in all aspects of Ottoman life and argues that accounts of their lives are vital to accurate representation of the Tanzimat era. In shedding much needed light on the lives of those who were vulnerable, disadvantaged, and otherwise oppressed, Suciyan takes a significant step toward a more inclusive Ottoman history.

Examines the relationship between passport regulations, mobility restrictions, and security practices within the context of a tumultuous late Ottoman political climate.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement. Designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the US, it seeks self-determination from Turkey. But this book examines the other changes it generates in society, focusing on how it has become a platform for shifts in gender politics through its women fighters. Based on fieldwork undertaken in Iraq, Syria and Europe - including in-depth interviews and participant observation within women's camps - the book examines Kurdish women fighters' motivations to join the PKK, as well as their personal life stories and views on gender, patriarchy, and ethnic minority experiences. This is the largest ethnographic study on the PKK to date and the book argues that in addition to seeking their nation's struggle for survival and a democratic society, Kurdish women fighters are driven by the prospect of improving conditions for themselves and for women across the entire region.

This book argues that the prevailing view of colonialism - that it was a negative and destructive phenomenon - needs to be rethought. It focuses on the experiences of the South Indian working class, large numbers of which came to Malaya in the early years of the twentieth century, emigrating from socially, economically, and environmentally inhospitable south India. It examines the opportunities which colonialism presented for these people, highlighting also the British approach to colonialism in Malaya, an approach which emphasised conservativism and tradition, and which protected the interests of the Malay aristocrat classes and, by extension, the Malay masses in order to compensate for European economic dominance and the influx of a non-Malay labour force. Overall, the book demonstrates that the South Indians, a class whose identity, social existence, and prospects were inextricably linked to imperial processes, benefitted from colonialism, and should be viewed as an active transnational entity within a constructive system, rather than as passive victims of repressive, destructive forces.