Echoes of Empire: An Accidental Historian’s Journey Through the Post-Ottoman World

Echoes of Empire: An Accidental Historian’s Journey Through the Post-Ottoman World
Author: James S. Kessler
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2016
Genre: History
ISBN: 1483444856

There is no dearth of news, not always of the most cheerful sort, coming out of the broad geographic arc of the vast territory that once constituted the mighty Ottoman Empire. The Arab Spring continues to reshape regions, an economic crisis is tearing apart Greece, pirates off the Horn of Africa are terrorizing ships, and conflicts in the Caucasus and Balkans are simmering. In Echoes of Empire: An Accidental Historian's Journey through the Post-Ottoman World, James S. Kessler chronicles his travels through a dizzying array of cultures, religions, languages, and political systems found within many of the former Ottoman Empire's possessions in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Drawing upon his experience as a historian and educator, Kessler explores how the shared Ottoman past-and how that past is remembered-continues to play a role in the post-imperial present in the more than forty countries that constitute the post-Ottoman world.

Ottoman Odyssey

Ottoman Odyssey
Author: Alev Scott
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2019-05-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1643131664

An exploration of the contemporary influence of the Ottoman Empire on the wider world, as the author uncovers the new Ottoman legacy across Europe and the Middle East. Alev Scott’s odyssey began when she looked beyond Turkey’s borders for contemporary traces of the Ottoman Empire. Their 800 years of rule ended a century ago—and yet, travelling through twelve countries from Kosovo to Greece to Palestine, she uncovers a legacy that’s vital and relevant; where medieval ethnic diversity meets twenty-first century nationalism—and displaced people seek new identities. It's a story of surprises. An acolyte of Erdogan in Christian-majority Serbia confirms the wide-reaching appeal of his authoritarian leadership. A Druze warlord explains the secretive religious faction in the heart of the Middle East. The palimpsest-like streets of Jerusalem's Old Town hint at the Ottoman co-existence of Muslims and Jews. And in Turkish Cyprus, Alev Scott rediscovers a childhood home. In every community, history is present as a dynamic force. Faced by questions of exile, diaspora and collective memory, Alev Scott searches for answers from the cafes of Beirut to the refugee camps of Lesbos. She uncovers in Erdogan's nouveau-Ottoman Turkey a version of the nostalgic utopias sold to disillusioned voters in Europe and America. And yet—as she relates with compassion, insight, and humor—diversity is the enduring, endangered heart of this fascinating region.

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire
Author: History Nerds
Publisher: History Nerds
Total Pages: 112
Release:
Genre: History
ISBN:

Step into the enigmatic world of "The Ottoman Empire" a compelling exploration of the rise, zenith, and eventual decline of one of the most formidable empires in history. This meticulously researched account takes readers on a captivating journey through the annals of time, unraveling the intricate tapestry of a civilization that spanned over six centuries. From the humble beginnings of Osman I to the imperial splendor of Suleiman the Magnificent, this book delves into the political intrigues, military conquests, and cultural achievements that defined the Ottomans. Experience the grandeur of the Topkapi Palace, the mystique of the Janissaries, and the opulence of the Silk Road as the Ottoman Empire carved its indelible mark on the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. As the narrative unfolds, witness the challenges that tested the resilience of this once-mighty empire: the seismic shifts in geopolitical dynamics, internal strife, and the inexorable march of time. Gain insights into the intricate interplay of religion, politics, and cultural exchange that shaped the Ottoman identity and influenced the destiny of the empire. "The Ottoman Empire" goes beyond the battlefield, offering a nuanced portrayal of the diverse peoples and communities that coexisted within the Ottoman domains. Explore the vibrant mosaic of Ottoman society, where scholars, artisans, and merchants flourished amidst a backdrop of architectural marvels and artistic achievements. However, the book does not shy away from the shadows that eventually enveloped the Ottoman Empire. Trace the gradual decline, examining the pivotal moments that signaled the end of an era and the emergence of a new geopolitical landscape.

Visions of the Ottoman World in Renaissance Europe

Visions of the Ottoman World in Renaissance Europe
Author: Andrei Pippidi
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Europe
ISBN: 9780231703789

Andrei Pippidi follows ideas of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries and ties the roots of these images to patterns in Western intellectualism. A pathbreaking book, his volume reconsiders the writing of Erasmus, Luther, and Machiavelli -- individuals we consider intellectuals, yet who largely did not travel or have direct contact with the Ottoman Empire. Nor were these figures well-disposed to the Ottomans' predecessor, the Byzantine Empire, whose fall presented them with an intellectual conundrum: what could explain the impressive advance of the Ottomans across the Balkans and the inability of Christian Europe to hold the line against them? Christians also felt compelled to incorporate this significant new threat into their vision of the world, to rationalize and unravel its origins. These issues and events spawned a common market of ideas in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, as Europeans debated and represented the new Ottoman age. Pippidi's analysis frequently echoes trends in today's debates concerning the ongoing relationship between Turkey and greater Europe, and the struggle of Western societies to assimilate descendants of the empire.

The Ottomans

The Ottomans
Author: Andrew Wheatcroft
Publisher: Penguin Mass Market
Total Pages: 378
Release: 1995
Genre: History
ISBN:

The world's last day - the fall of the Byzantine empire; at the gate of bliss - the shaping of Ottoman power; strangled with a silken cord - the constraints of Ottomanism; "The auspicious event"--The extirpation of the Janissaries; Stamboul, the city - Western images of the Ottomans; dreams from the rose pavilion - the meandering path of reform; "the lustful turk" "the terrible turk."

Echoes of Empire

Echoes of Empire
Author: Kalypso Nicolaïdis
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2014-12-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 0857738968

How does our colonial past echo through today's global politics? How have former empire-builders sought vindication or atonement, and formerly colonized states reversal or retribution? This groundbreaking book presents a panoramic view of attitudes to empires past and present, seen not only through the hard politics of international power structures but also through the nuances of memory, historiography and national and minority cultural identities. Bringing together leading historians, poitical scientists and international relations scholars from across the globe, Echoes of Empire emphasizes Europe's colonial legacy whilst also highlighting the importance of non-European power centres- Ottoman, Russian, Chinese, Japanese- in shaping world politics, then and now. Echoes of Empire bridges the divide between disciplines to trace the global routes travelled by objects, ideas and people and forms a radically different notion of the term 'empire' itself. This will be an essential companion to courses on international relations and imperial history as well as a fascinating read for anyone interested in Western hegemony, North-South relations, global power shifts and the longue duree.

Ghost Empire

Ghost Empire
Author: Richard Fidler
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1681775778

"A brilliant reconstruction of the saga of power, glory, and invasion that is the one-thousand year story of Constantinople. A truly marvelous book." —Simon Winchester Ghost Empire is a rare treasure—an utterly captivating blend of the historical and the contemporary, narrated by a master storyteller. The story is a revelation: a beautifully written ode to a lost civilization combined with a warmly observed father-son adventure far from home. In 2014, Richard Fidler and his son Joe made a journey to Istanbul. Fired by Richard's passion for the rich history of the dazzling Byzantine Empire—centered around the legendary Constantinople—we are swept into some of the most extraordinary tales in history. The clash of civilizations, the fall of empires, the rise of Christianity, revenge, lust, murder. Turbulent stories from the past are brought vividly to life at the same time as a father navigates the unfolding changes in his relationship with his son.

Plague and Empire in the Early Modern Mediterranean World

Plague and Empire in the Early Modern Mediterranean World
Author: Nükhet Varlik
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2015-07-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107013380

This is the first systematic scholarly study of the Ottoman experience of plague during the Black Death pandemic and the centuries that followed. Using a wealth of archival and narrative sources, including medical treatises, hagiographies, and travelers' accounts, as well as recent scientific research, Nükhet Varlik demonstrates how plague interacted with the environmental, social, and political structures of the Ottoman Empire from the late medieval through the early modern era. The book argues that the empire's growth transformed the epidemiological patterns of plague by bringing diverse ecological zones into interaction and by intensifying the mobilities of exchange among both human and non-human agents. Varlik maintains that persistent plagues elicited new forms of cultural imagination and expression, as well as a new body of knowledge about the disease. In turn, this new consciousness sharpened the Ottoman administrative response to the plague, while contributing to the makings of an early modern state.

God's Shadow

God's Shadow
Author: Alan Mikhail
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0571331920

The Ottoman Empire was a hub of flourishing intellectual fervor, geopolitical power, and enlightened pluralistic rule. At the helm of its ascent was the omnipotent Sultan Selim I (1470-1520), who, with the aid of his extraordinarily gifted mother, Gülbahar, hugely expanded the empire, propelling it onto the world stage. Aware of centuries of European suppression of Islamic history, Alan Mikhail centers Selim's Ottoman Empire and Islam as the very pivots of global history, redefining such world-changing events as Christopher Columbus's voyages - which originated, in fact, as a Catholic jihad that would come to view Native Americans as somehow "Moorish" - the Protestant Reformation, the transatlantic slave trade, and the dramatic Ottoman seizure of the Middle East and North Africa. Drawing on previously unexamined sources and written in gripping detail, Mikhail's groundbreaking account vividly recaptures Selim's life and world. An historical masterwork, God's Shadow radically reshapes our understanding of a world we thought we knew.A leading historian of his generation, Alan Mikhail, Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at Yale University, has reforged our understandings of the past through his previous three prize-winning books on the history of Middle East.

A Little History of the World

A Little History of the World
Author: E. H. Gombrich
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2014-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300213972

E. H. Gombrich's Little History of the World, though written in 1935, has become one of the treasures of historical writing since its first publication in English in 2005. The Yale edition alone has now sold over half a million copies, and the book is available worldwide in almost thirty languages. Gombrich was of course the best-known art historian of his time, and his text suggests illustrations on every page. This illustrated edition of the Little History brings together the pellucid humanity of his narrative with the images that may well have been in his mind's eye as he wrote the book. The two hundred illustrations—most of them in full color—are not simple embellishments, though they are beautiful. They emerge from the text, enrich the author's intention, and deepen the pleasure of reading this remarkable work. For this edition the text is reset in a spacious format, flowing around illustrations that range from paintings to line drawings, emblems, motifs, and symbols. The book incorporates freshly drawn maps, a revised preface, and a new index. Blending high-grade design, fine paper, and classic binding, this is both a sumptuous gift book and an enhanced edition of a timeless account of human history.