Fighting the Minor Evils
Slavery and the Diverse Lives of Abolitionism in the Ottoman Empire
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8969183 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ceyda Karamürsel (0000-0001-7780-6844, University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 610-626 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal Middle East Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-7438 • E-ISSN: 1471-6380 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0020743825000017 |
| OpenAlex | W4408274901 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
Historians have long argued that abolitionism, as a distinct political project, never fully took root in the Ottoman Empire. While anti-slavery measures emerged from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, they are often seen as state-imposed responses to diplomatic pressure. From a state-focused perspective, abolition indeed appears to be the result of actions by the Ottoman state and international community, inevitably so, given its entanglement with the emergence and development of the Congress system in the aftermath of the Congress of Vienna. Yet a focus on individuals, organizations, and institutions also suggests a subversive, practical abolitionism concerned with everyday injustices rather than lofty ideals. This paper examines such efforts, reframing abolitionism as a political issue rather than a moral one detached from broader transformations. By situating abolitionist thought within the late Ottoman Empire’s increasingly radical politics, it challenges the conventional state-centered narrative, highlighting the diverse actors who shaped anti-slavery discourse and action
Abolitionism · Ancient history · Art · Empire · Literature · Minor (academic · Ottoman empire · Political science · Politics · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law
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| Highly cited | No |
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