Children and Childhood in the Ottoman Empire : From the 15th to the 20th Century

Abstract

Explores 5 centuries of changing attitudes toward children and childhood in the Ottoman Empire

• Includes data on Christian, Jewish and Muslim children that shed light on differences and commonalities in family structures and communities

• Covers a broad geographic area including Ottoman Romania, Bulgaria, Crimea, Greece, Bosnia, Syria, Palestine and Istanbul

• Paves the way for new directions in research on the history of children and childhood in the Ottoman Empire

• Features a Foreword by Suraiya Faroqhi, an introductory chapter by Colin Heywood, and includes 8 tables, 8 graphs, 9 illustrations and a glossary of key terms

How did adults, religious institutions and the state view children during the Ottoman Empire? This volume gathers specialists in the social history of the Ottoman Empire as a whole – in regions ranging from Anatolia through the Arab provinces to the Balkans, and from the 15th to the early 20th century – to respond to recent theoretical calls to recognise children as active agents in history.

Divided into 5 thematic sections – concepts of childhood, family interrelationships, children outside family circles, children’s bodies and education – the volume covers the social and political structure of the Ottoman Empire. It uses the innovative prism of children as social agents who are not only shaped by but also shape society, rather than being the passive recipients of their social environment.