Book Talk with Aslihan Gürbüzel
Join the Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and North African Studies Program for a book talk with Aslihan Gürbüzel from McGill University, author of Taming the Messiah: The Formation of an Ottoman Political Public Sphere, 1600-1700.
Was the 17th century, characterized by political dissent and social conflict, an anomaly in the history of the Ottoman Empire?
This book shows how the early modern period was crucial to the formation of new kinds of political agency that challenged and reshaped the Ottoman social order.
By uncovering the histories of new political voices and documenting the emergence of a robust public sphere, Gürbüzel challenges two common assumptions: first, that the ideal of public political participation originated in the West; and second, that civic culture was introduced only with Westernization efforts in the nineteenth century.
Contrary to these assumptions, Taming the Messiah offers a new method of studying public political life by focusing on the variety of religious visions and lifeworlds native to Ottoman society.
Bryn Mawr College welcomes the full participation of all individuals in all aspects of campus life. Should you wish to request a disability-related accommodation for this event, please contact the event sponsor/coordinator. Requests should be made as early as possible.