Emotions in the Ottoman Empire: Politics, Society, and Family in the Early Modern Era (History of Emotions)

A Note on Transliteration and Translation vii Acknowledgments viii Introduction: Emotions and the Concept of Protection Ottoman Politics of Difference Emotions in Historical Studies Emotions in Ottoman Studies Methods and Sources 1 Emotion Knowledge Kınalızade's Ahlak-ı Ala'i Faculties of Vegetative, Animal, and Human Soul Emotions in Ahlak-i Ala'i Emotions and the Domain of Medical Knowledge Absence of Emotions in Ottoman Self-Narratives Concluding Remarks 2 Ottoman Politics of Emotion Protection with Compassion Uniting with the Hearts of the Subjects (telif-i kulüb and istimalet) The Path of Love (mahabbet) Concluding Remarks 3 Emotions in Intracommunal Relations: Rıza and Şükran Sub-communities in Ottoman Society Neighborhoods and Guilds as "Domains of Gratitude" Sensations and Drawing the Boundaries of Communities: Kendü halinde olmak Expulsions from Domains of Gratitude Emotions as Practices Concluding Remarks Contents Contents vi 4 Regulating Communities by an Emotion: Shame Shame in Different Cultures Shame in Ottoman Sources Gendered Emotion of Shame: Ar Shaming Others in Ottoman Society Concluding Remarks 5 Emotions in the Ottoman Family Emotionology of the Ottoman Family: House of Companionship and Love (Hane-i Ülfet ve Mahabbet) Expressions of Emotions in Engagement Expressions of Emotions in Divorce Concluding Remarks 6 Changing Meanings of Protection and Transformation of Emotions Modernization Efforts in the 19th Century From Mahabbet to Love of Fatherland Change in the Domain of Medical Knowledge Transformation of Emotions in Societal and Familial Relations Concluding Remarks Conclusion Bibliography Index xii In the mid-sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire stretched from the Persian steppes to the Danube River basin, from the northern Black Sea to northern Africa, and was one of the empires that ruled the world. Indeed, it was not any different from other early modern empires: they were all expansionist; they all used intermediaries such as generals, governors, or tax collectors to take charge of territories they incorporated; and they were interested in more than just economic exploitation. 1 Empires differed, however, in their repertoires of power and how they employed the politics of difference. Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper, in their book Empires in World History, focused on a set of empires as remarkably durable polities, and analyzed the different strategies empires chose as they incorporated diverse peoples into their polity. The Ottoman Empire appears at the center of their story, as an empire that managed to blend Turkic, Byzantine, Arab, Mongol, and Persian traditions into durable, flexible, and transformative power. 2 The longevity of the Ottoman Empire, which endured for over 600 years, has been investigated by several scholars, but the secret to its durability remains a puzzling question for historians. Although it is not possible to fully capture the complexities of this distant past, I would like to start with an illustrative scene to answer this challenging and puzzling question. In this historical scene, the residents of a small town or city in Anatolia in the 1550s, an early part of the early modern era, learn that an imperial decree is to be read out loud in a few hours. We might notice that people are gathering slowly, either outside the house of the town's judge, used also as the judicial court, or perhaps in the courtyard of the town's mosque, 3 Although vague in its physical boundaries, the geographical region of Anatolia and Rumelia was called "the Lands of Rum" with changing cultural associations over time. For an excellent analysis of the changing political and cultural meanings of "the Lands of Rum" during the medieval, early modern, and modern periods, see Cemal Kafadar, "A Rome of One's Own: Reflections on Cultural Geography and Identity in the Lands of Rum, " Cover 1 Contents 6 A Note on Transliteration and Translation 8 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: Emotions and the Concept of Protection 14 Ottoman Politics of Difference 16 Emotions in Historical Studies 18 Emotions in Ottoman Studies 24 Methods and Sources 27 1 Emotion Knowledge 36 Kınalızade’s Ahlak-ı Ala’i 37 Faculties of Vegetative, Animal, and Human Soul 40 Emotions in Ahlak-i Ala’i 46 Emotions and the Domain of Medical Knowledge 49 Absence of Emotions in Ottoman Self-Narratives 51 Concluding Remarks 54 2 Ottoman Politics of Emotion 56 Protection with Compassion 59 Uniting with the Hearts of the Subjects (telif-i kulüb and istimalet) 69 The Path of Love (mahabbet) 76 Concluding Remarks 80 3 Emotions in Intracommunal Relations: Rıza and Şükran 82 Sub-communities in Ottoman Society 83 Neighborhoods and Guilds as “Domains of Gratitude” 86 Sensations and Drawing the Boundaries of Communities: Kendü halinde olmak 92 Expulsions from Domains of Gratitude 96 Emotions as Practices 100 Concluding Remarks 105 4 Regulating Communities by an Emotion: Shame 108 Shame in Different Cultures 110 Shame in Ottoman Sources 113 Gendered Emotion of Shame: Ar 117 Shaming Others in Ottoman Society 119 Concluding Remarks 122 5 Emotions in the Ottoman Family 124 Emotionology of the Ottoman Family: House of Companionship and Love (Hane-i Ülfet ve Mahabbet) 125 Expressions of Emotions in Engagement 132 Expressions of Emotions in Divorce 137 Concluding Remarks 142 6 Changing Meanings of Protection and Transformation of Emotions 144 Modernization Efforts in the 19th Century 145 From Mahabbet to Love of Fatherland 149 Change in the Domain of Medical Knowledge 151 Transformation of Emotions in Societal and Familial Relations 153 Concluding Remarks 155 Conclusion 158 Bibliography 165 Index 176 Exploring the political, social and familial ties in early modern Ottoman society, this book is a timely contribution to both the history of emotions and the study of the Ottoman Empire. Spanning love and compassion in political discourse, gratitude in communal relations to affection in the home, Emotions in the Ottoman Empire considers the role of emotions in both micro and macro settings. Drawing on Ottoman primary sources such as advice manuals, judicial court records and imperial decrees, this book claims that the contested concept of 'protection', related to how and who to protect, was culturally specific and historically contingent and stands at the center of all debates about how the Ottoman empire and society itself employed the politics of difference. It explores what it felt like to protect and be protected in the early modern era and how Ottoman subjects conceptualized the unequal power relations. The central argument of the book is that it was emotions in the early modern era which provided the meaning of the concept of “protection”. It also traces change in meaning of protection in the nineteenth century and explores how emotions transformed or got lost in social, political and familial relations during the period of modernization. Highlighting a culture that has so far been neglected in the history of emotions, this book looks to globalise the field and think more deeply about Ottoman society in the early modern period. "Exploring the political, social and familial ties in early modern Ottoman society, this book is a timely contribution to both the history of emotions and the study of the Ottoman Empire. Spanning compassion in political discourse and shame in judicial courts, to affection in the home, and hate in divorce cases, Emotions in the Ottoman Empire considers the role of emotions in both micro and macro settings. Drawing on Ottoman primary sources such as advice manuals, judicial court records and imperial decrees, this book argues that emotions in early modern Ottoman society were not just linguistic expressions of inner feelings but acted as tools for social and political communication. Using emotions it also reveals the experiences of everyday, ordinary people; why shame was always expressed by men, why gratitude played such an important role in local guilds and why Ottoman women used public baths as emotional refuges. Highlighting a culture that has so far been neglected in the history of emotions, this book looks to globalise the field and think more deeply about Ottoman society in the early modern period."-- Provided by publisher