The Ottoman Empire''s vast bureaucracy was not solely the domain of Muslim officials. Empire of Officials uncovers the overlooked role of Christians and Jews in the imperial administration, revealing a world where religious difference coexisted with professional collegiality. Drawing on extensive archival research and prosopographic analysis, the book challenges narratives that portray the Ottoman state as rigidly divided along religious lines. Thousands of non-Muslim officials-from scribes and tax officers to high-ranking administrators and ministers-were indispensable to governance, shaping policies that affected millions. Their presence reveals the complexities of imperial rule, where loyalty, expertise, and pragmatism often outweighed sectarian divisions. Navigating careers within a state undergoing modernization and reform, these officials built networks, wielded influence, and redefined the boundaries of belonging. Focusing on the quantity and qualities of its Armenian, Greek, and Jewish officials, Empire of Officials offers a fresh perspective on Ottoman governance. It complicates conventional understandings of identity and provides a new lens for Ottomanism by showing how the bureaucracy functioned as a multi-confessional space, where professional roles often took precedence over ethnic or religious affiliations. Essential reading for scholars of comparative empires, this book illuminates the intricate intersections of bureaucracy, religion, and state power.

Autorentext
Abdulhamit Kirmizi is Professor of History at Marmara University, Turkey, and Senior Research Scientist at University College Dublin, Ireland. He previously taught at Istanbul Sehir University and Bamberg University in Germany, and has held fellowships at the British Academy (SOAS, University of London) and CAS Sofia, Bulgaria. His research focuses on auto/biography, bureaucracy, and historiography, and he has published extensively on lives, administration, and politics in the modern Ottoman Empire

Klappentext

The Ottoman Empire's vast bureaucracy was not solely the domain of Muslim officials. Empire of Officials uncovers the overlooked role of Christians and Jews in the imperial administration, revealing a world where religious difference coexisted with professional collegiality.
Drawing on extensive archival research and prosopographic analysis, the book challenges narratives that portray the Ottoman state as rigidly divided along religious lines. Thousands of non-Muslim officials-from scribes and tax officers to high-ranking administrators and ministers-were indispensable to governance, shaping policies that affected millions. Their presence reveals the complexities of imperial rule, where loyalty, expertise, and pragmatism often outweighed sectarian divisions. Navigating careers within a state undergoing modernization and reform, these officials built networks, wielded influence, and redefined the boundaries of belonging. Focusing on the quantity and qualities of its Armenian, Greek, and Jewish officials, Empire of Officials offers a fresh perspective on Ottoman governance. It complicates conventional understandings of identity and provides a new lens for Ottomanism by showing how the bureaucracy functioned as a multi-confessional space, where professional roles often took precedence over ethnic or religious affiliations. Essential reading for scholars of comparative empires, this book illuminates the intricate intersections of bureaucracy, religion, and state power.

Inhalt

Introduction

• The Ottoman Bureaucracy: A Multi-Confessional Workplace
• Scope and Significance of the Study
• Methodology and Sources

• Structure of the Book

  Chapter 1: Employment of Non-Muslims: Continuation or Innovation?

• Employment of non-Muslims in Muslim Empires
• Practical rather than Principal
• In the Premodern Ottoman Empire
• Was non-Muslim Employment Exceptional?
• Was Tanzimat a Beginning?
• Tanzimat and Ottomanism
• The 1856 Rescript of Reform and Debates on Egalitarianism
• Internal Debates on External Pressures
• The Emergence of Christian Pashas
• In the Hamidian Bureaucracy

• In the Provincial Administration

  Chapter 2: Mapping the Bureaucracy: Prosopographic Approach

• Counting Identities
  -Estimations on non-Muslim Officials
• 1895: The Turning Point
• Data Collection and Analysis: Ottoman Personnel Registers
• Profiles of Non-Muslim Officials: A Quantitative Overview
• Armenians
• Greeks

• Jews

  Chapter 3: Education and Career Paths of Non-Muslim Officials

• Educational Backgrounds: Schools and Institutions
• Career Trajectories: Entry Points and Promotion Paths

• Case Studies: Prominent Christian and Jewish Officials

  Chapter 4: Recruitment Patterns: The State's Role in Fostering Inclusivity

• Policies and Practices: Integrating Non-Muslims into the Bureaucracy
• Yearning for Control and Influence
• Ensuring Loyalty and Legitimacy
• Nepotism, Patronage, and Networks
• Employing Collaborators and Victims

• Resisting European Pressures

  Chapter 5: Collegiality and Professional Integration

• Shared Workspaces: Offices and Departments
• Everyday Collegiality and Collaboration
• Balancing Professional Duties and Personal Identities
• Joint Malpractice
• Conflicts and Frictions in the Workplace

• External Pressures: Nationalism and Sectarianism

  Conclusion

• Legacy and Impact of Non-Muslim Officials
• Contributions to Administrative Modernization
• Long-term Impact on Ottoman and Post-Ottoman States
• Reflection on Historical Narratives and Historiography