This vividly detailed revisionist history opens a new vista on the great Ottoman Empire in the early nineteenth century, a key period often seen as the eve of Tanzimat westernizing reforms and the beginning of three distinct histories - ethnic nationalism in the Balkans, imperial modernization from Istanbul, and European colonialism in the Middle East. Christine Philliou brilliantly shines a new light on imperial crisis and change in the 1820s and 1830s by unearthing the life of one man. Stephanos Vogorides (1780-1859) was part of a network of Christian elites known phanariots, institutionally excluded from power yet intimately bound up with Ottoman governance. By tracing the contours of the wide-ranging networks - crossing ethnic, religious, and institutional boundaries - in which the phanariots moved, Philliou provides a unique view of Ottoman power and, ultimately, of the Ottoman legacies in the Middle East and Balkans today. What emerges is a wide-angled analysis of governance as a lived experience at a moment in which there was no clear blueprint for power.

About the Author
Christine M. Philliou is Assistant Professor of History at Columbia University.

Reviews
"There is no doubt that this is an excellent, groundbreaking work." -- Dimitris Kastritsis Int'l Journal Of Turkish Stds "Highly recommended." -- Heather Ferguson Journal Of Interdisciplinary History "Imaginative... Philliou's prose is masterful... An original and substantial contribution to late Ottoman history." -- Hasan Kayali, University of California, San Diego The Historian



Book Information
ISBN 9780520266353
Author Christine M. Philliou
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm