İzmir/Smyrna 1826–1864
This book aims to reveal communal relations in İzmir/Smyrna through the lens of Greek-Turkish relations during the age of Ottoman reforms. The primary sources used in this book, Ottoman-Turkish archival material and Greek newspapers of the period, demonstrate that these reforms did not disturb the social cohesion of İzmir, a city with a unique vibrancy that had been produced over many centuries. The historical evidence also indicates that the Ottoman Empire did not attempt to mould social relations in İzmir, instead benefited from the city’s pre-existing socio-cultural and economic norms, which were well suited to its modernization program. It uncovers the dynamics of coexistence and communal relations before being brought to an abrupt halt by the formation of the modern nation-states.
Feryal Tansuğ received her PhD in the area of Ottoman History at the University of Toronto. She teaches at Bahçeşehir University in İstanbul. Her research interests include intercommunal and multireligious interactions in the Mediterranean, transnational history and Aegean islands.