Venetians in Constantinople: Nation, Identity, and Coexistence in the Early Modern Mediterranean (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science Book 124)

Historian Eric R Dursteler reconsiders identity in the early modern world to illuminate Veneto-Ottoman cultural interaction and coexistence, challenging the model of hostile relations and suggesting instead a more complex understanding of the intersection of cultures. Although dissonance and strife were certainly part of this relationship, he argues, coexistence and cooperation were more common.Moving beyond the "clash of civilizations" model that surveys the relationship between Islam and Christianity from a geopolitical perch, Dursteler analyzes the lived reality by focusing on a localized microcosm: the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople.While factors such as religion, culture, and political status could be integral elements in constructions of self and community, Dursteler finds early modern identity to be more than the sum total of its constitutent parts and reveals how the fluidity and malleability of identity in this time and place made coexistence among disparate cultures possible. (June 2010)

Moving beyond the "clash of civilizations" model that surveys the relationship between Islam and Christianity from a geopolitical perch, historian Eric R Dursteler focuses on a localized microcosm: the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople. Although dissonance and strife were certainly part of this relationship, he argues, coexistence and cooperation were more common.

While such factors as religion, culture, and political status could be integral elements in constructions of self and community, Dursteler finds that the fluidity and malleability of identity in the early modern world made coexistence among disparate cultures possible.

"The introduction to this book is dazzling... The Venetian community in Constantinople provides an excellent site for exploration of issues of nation and identity... [Dursteler's] overall intention — to demonstrate cultural diversity in a place and era that has been commonly assumed to lack it — remains firmly at the fore, and he admirably fulfills his task." — American Historical Review

"This is a boundary-busting book... Dursteler is to be commended for this insightful and gracefully written work that delivers a powerful message in brief compass, and will help change the way we consider European-Ottoman relations in the early modern era and perhaps West and non-West relations in our own." — Renaissance Quarterly

"A significant contribution to new understandings of national, ethnic, and religious relations in the past, with clear explanations of common assumptions and frameworks for fluid identities and border-crossings." — Renaissance Studies

"A rich body ofinteresting and colorful information... An important contribution to our understanding of the complex Mediterranean world of the early modern period." — Sixteenth Century Journal

Eric R Dursteler is an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University.

Historian Eric R Dursteler reconsiders identity in the early modern world to illuminate Veneto-Ottoman cultural interaction and coexistence, challenging the model of hostile relations and suggesting instead a more complex understanding of the intersection of cultures. Although dissonance and strife were certainly part of this relationship, he argues, coexistence and cooperation were more common.

Moving beyond the "clash of civilizations" model that surveys the relationship between Islam and Christianity from a geopolitical perch, Dursteler analyzes the lived reality by focusing on a localized microcosm: the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople.

While factors such as religion, culture, and political status could be integral elements in constructions of self and community, Dursteler finds early modern identity to be more than the sum total of its constitutent parts and reveals how the fluidity and malleability of identity in this time and place made coexistence among disparate cultures possible.

Historian Eric R Dursteler reconsiders identity in the early modern world to illuminate Veneto-Ottoman cultural interaction and coexistence, challenging the model of hostile relations and suggesting instead a more complex understanding of the intersection of cultures. Although dissonance and strife were certainly part of this relationship, he argues, coexistence and cooperation were more common. Moving beyond the "clash of civilizations" model that surveys the relationship between Islam and Christianity from a geopolitical perch, Dursteler analyzes the lived reality by focusing on a localized microcosm: the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople. While factors such as religion, culture, and political status could be integral elements in constructions of self and community, Dursteler finds early modern identity to be more than the sum total of its constitutent parts and reveals how the fluidity and malleability of identity in this time and place made coexistence among disparate cultures possible. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 16 1 The Venetian Nation in Constantinople......Page 38 2 The Merchants of Venice......Page 56 3 The Unofficial Nation: Banditi, Schiavi, Greci......Page 76 4 Jews, Renegades, and Early Modern Identity......Page 124 5 Merchants, Patricians, Citizens, and Early Modern Identity......Page 151 6 An Urban Middle Ground: Venetians and Ottomans in Constantinople......Page 172 Notes......Page 208 E......Page 268 V......Page 269 Works Cited......Page 270 B......Page 304 D......Page 305 I......Page 306 M......Page 307 P......Page 308 V......Page 309 Z......Page 310 Illustrations......Page 118 "Historian Eric R. Dursteler reconsiders identity in the early modern world to illuminate Veneto-Ottoman cultural interaction and co-existence, challenging the model of hostile relations and suggesting instead a more complex understanding of the intersection of cultures and religions. Although dissonance and strife were certainly part of this relationship, he argues, coexistence and cooperation were more common."--BOOK JACKET Introduction The Venetian nation in Constantinople The merchants of Venice The unofficial nation: Banditti, Schiavi, Greci Jews, renegades, and early modern identity Merchants, patricians, citizens, and early modern identity An urban middle ground : Venetians and Ottomans in Constantinople Notes Glossary Works cited Index. Reconsiders identity in the early modern world to illuminate Veneto-Ottoman cultural interaction and coexistence. Moving beyond the "clash of civilizations" model, this work analyzes the lived reality by focusing on a localized microcosm: the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople. Introduction The Venetian nation in Constantinople The merchants of Venice The unofficial nation: Banditti, Schiavi, Greci Jews and renegades and early modern identity Merchants, patricians, and citizens and early modern identity An urban middle ground Abbreviations Notes Glossary Bibliography Index. Moving beyond the 'clash of civilizations' model that surveys the relationship between Islam and Christianity from a geopolitical perch, the author focuses on a localized microcosm: the Venetian merchant and diplomatic community in Muslim Constantinople.