Slaves and Slave Agency in the Ottoman Empire

Contributions by Stephan Conermann Contributions by Gül Sen Contributions by Sarah Büssow Contributions by Johann Büssow Contributions by Suraiya Faroqhi Contributions by Yehoshua Frenkel Contributions by Zübeyde Güneş Yağcı Contributions by Jane Hathaway Contributions by Betül Ipsirli Argit Contributions by Natalia Królikowska-Jedlińska Contributions by Ehud R. Toledano Contributions by Veruschka Wagner Contributions by Joshua White Contributions by Christoph Witzenrath Edited by Stephan Conermann Edited by Gül Sen

Book cover: Slaves and Slave Agency in the Ottoman Empire

Extent: 448 pages

Publisher: V&R unipress

Subjects: Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Social Sciences 

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(May 2020)

ISBN: 9783847110378

6.3 x 9.25 inches

Price: $99.00

Out of stock

A closer look at the various levels of the Ottoman social order brings to light a variety of conditions for enslavement practices rather than a single universal pattern. The authors of this volume examine various forms of dependency with a particular focus on agency, i.e. the room for maneuver of the enslaved or the options for action in situations of extreme individual or group dependencies in their respective historical contexts. A clearer and more nuanced picture of the practices of slavery thus evolves across the duration of the Empire between the 14th-20th centuries.


Given that the classical binary of ‘slavery’ and ‘freedom’ is derived from the transatlantic experience, the volume strives for an alternative approach by examining asymmetric dependency structures in the Ottoman Empire. A closer look at the various levels of the Ottoman social order brings to light a variety of conditions for enslavement practices rather than a single universal pattern. The authors of this volume examine various forms of dependency with a particular focus on agency, i.e. the room for maneuver of the enslaved or the options for action in situations of extreme individual or group dependencies in their respective historical contexts. A clearer and more nuanced picture of the practices of slavery thus evolves across the duration of the Empire between the 14th-20th centuries.

  • Contributions by Stephan Conermann
  • Contributions by Gül Sen
  • Contributions by Sarah Büssow
  • Contributions by Johann Büssow
  • Contributions by Suraiya Faroqhi
  • Contributions by Yehoshua Frenkel
  • Contributions by Zübeyde Güneş Yağcı
  • Contributions by Jane Hathaway
  • Contributions by Betül Ipsirli Argit
  • Contributions by Natalia Królikowska-Jedlińska
  • Contributions by Ehud R. Toledano
  • Contributions by Veruschka Wagner
  • Contributions by Joshua White
  • Contributions by Christoph Witzenrath
  • Edited by Stephan Conermann
  • Edited by Gül Sen