Remapping the Ottoman Middle East: Modernity, Imperial Bureaucracy and Islam (Library of Ottoman Studies)

"As a result of the formation of the modern Turkish state, nationalist narratives of the Ottoman Empire's collapse are commonplace. Remapping the Ottoman Middle East, on the other hand, examines alternative and disparate routes to modernity during the nineteenth century. Pursuing a comparison of different regions of the empire, this book demonstrates that the Ottoman imperial universe was shaped by three distinct and simultaneous narratives: market relations in its coastal areas; imperial bureaucracy in the cities of central Anatolia, Syria and Palestine; and Islamic trust networks in the frontier regions of the Arabian Peninsula. In weaving together these localized developments, Cem Emrence departs from narratives of state centralism and suggests that a comprehensive way of understanding the late Ottoman world and its legacy should start from exploring regionally-constituted and network-based historical trajectories. Introducing a persuasive new model for understanding the late Ottoman world, this book will be essential reading for historians of the Ottoman Empire."--Bloomsbury Publishing. While conflicts of class, ideology and political systems have receded in the post-Cold War world, divisions based on group identity - cultural, ethnic, religious, and national - have assumed new importance. From Bosnia to Belfast and Burundi, from California to Kosovo, the difficulty of defining and reconciling group identities, and of relating them to state structures, has become one of the central problems of our time. Nations in the developed world are no less immune from these complex issues whether they involve Scottish nationalism, the rival national identities in Northern Ireland, the uneasy integration of former GDR citizens into a united Germany, the perennial problems of Afro-Americans and Hispanics in the United States, not to mention the myriad factors raised by the disappearance of the Soviet Union. Leading scholars and writers such as the late Ernest Gellner, Bhikhu Parekh, Olivier Roy, Michael Ignatieff and Professor Adam Roberts of Oxford University have collaborated with Edward Mortimer to illuminate the issues of ethnic and national identity which have emerged as central to the politics of today's world. They examine definitions of ethnicity; the relationship between nationhood and nationalism; sexual politics relating to nationalism and ethnicity; the problem of national identity in a multicultural society as well as surveying the problems and opportunities thrown up by different kinds of nationalism. By exploring various perspectives on a highly topical subject this book makes an important contribution to a better understanding of the workings of politics in today's world. -- Back cover. Introduction / Edward Mortimer -- The Making Of Ethnicity: A Modest Defence Of Primordialism / Robin Cohen -- The Nature Of Ethnicity: Lessons From Africa / Terence Ranger -- Adam's Navel: 'primordialists' Versus 'modernists' / Ernest Gellner -- The Nation: Real Or Imagined? / Anthony D. Smith -- Gender, Nations And Nationalisms / Catherine Hall -- The Elusive Cultural Community / Olivier Roy -- Defining National Identity In A Multicultural Society / Bhikhu Parekh -- Beyond The Flawed Principle Of National Self-determination / Adam Roberts -- The Right Of Self-determination / Danilo Turk -- Between Union And Separation: The Path Of Conciliation / Gidon Gottlieb -- Does A Nation Need A State? Reflections On Liberal Nationalism / Neil Maccormick -- Benign Nationalism? The Possibilities Of The Civic Ideal / Michael Ignatieff -- Benign Nationalism? The Limits Of The Civic Ideal / Robert Fine. Edited By Edward Mortimer, With Robert Fine. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. INTRODUCTION -- Method -- Imperial Path -- Theory -- Background and Plan of the Book -- 1. HISTORIOGRAPHY -- Modernization Approaches -- Macro Models -- Bargaining Perspectives -- Conclusions -- 2. COAST -- The Making of a Globally-Connected Economy -- Middle Class Hegemony -- Economic Contention -- Conclusions -- 3. INTERIOR -- An Urban Muslim Bloc -- Creating Regional Markets -- Patrimonial Tensions -- Conclusions -- 4. FRONTIER -- Politics of Emergenc -- Collecting Protection Money -- Rebellious Repertoires -- Conclusions -- 5. ROUTES OF TRANSFORMATION, 1908-1922 -- The New Imperial Class -- Nationalizing the Coast -- Failed Bargains in the Interior -- Making Frontiers Independent -- Conclusions -- CONCLUSION -- Late Ottoman Trajectories -- Ottoman Insights -- A New Research Agenda While conflicts of class, ideology and political systems have receded in the post-Cold War world, divisions based on group identity--cultural, ethnic, religious, and national--have assumed new importance. From Bosnia to Belfast and Burundi, from California to Kazakhstan, the difficulty of defining and reconciling group identities, and relating them to state structures, has become one of the central problems of our time. In this book, leading scholars and writers have collaborated with Edward Mortimer to illuminate the issues of ethnic and national identity that have emerged as central to the politics of todays world. In 1908, an American playwright, Israel Zangwill, wrote a Broadway hit called The Melting Pot.