Beyond Slavery and Freedom. Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies in the Ottoman Empire (and other Societies)

INVITATION to a LECTURE

Beyond Slavery and Freedom. Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies in the Ottoman Empire (and other Societies)

Prof. Dr. Stephan Conermann

University of Bonn

Wednesday, 7th May 2025, 19:00 at the Orient-Institut Istanbul

In his talk, Prof. Dr. Stephan Conemann will first present the Bonn Center for Slavery and Dependency Studies (BCDSS) which hosts one of the very few German Cluster of Excellences in the Humanities. Since 2019, the BCDSS investigates strong asymmetrical dependencies (such as slavery, debt bondage, serfdom, coerced labour…) in human social orders and practices. The BCDSS inquires into the forms, the functions, the developments, the justifications and the changes of strong asymmetrical dependencies while always taking into account our own positionality. Comparing these forms is a major methodological and theoretical challenge.

After the introduction to the work of the cluster, Conermann will present and comment on the results of our working group “Ottoman Slavery” that was initiated to provide scholars with the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas on the topic of slavery and other forms of asymmetrical dependencies in the Ottoman Empire in different periods and regions using various sources such as archival materials, travelogues, correspondences, and manuscripts.

Stephan Conermann (PhD University of Kiel, 1996) is the Speaker of the Bonn Center of Dependency and Slavery Studies, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Bonn. His research interests include slaveries, narrative strategies in historiographic texts, transition periods, mobility and immobility, global history, and rule and power. His work is focused on the Mamluk and Delhi Sultanates, the Mughal and Ottoman Empires, and the Crossroads Area “Transottomanica.” His latest publications include the following: with Michael Zeuske, eds., The Slavery/Capitalism Debate Global. From “Capitalism and Slavery” to “Slavery as Capitalism” [= Comparativ. Zeitschrift für Globalgeschichte und vergleichende Gesellschaftsforschung 30, no. 5–6 (2020): 447–636]; with Gül Şen, eds., Slaves and Slave Agency in the Ottoman Empire (Göttingen: V&R unipress, 2020); with Toru Miura, eds., Studies on the History and Culture of the Mamluk Sultanate  (1250–1517). Proceedings of the First German-Japanese Workshop Held at Tokyo, November 5–6, 2016 (Göttingen: V&R unipress, 2021); with Gül Şen, eds., The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition II. Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilād al-Shām in the Sixteenth Century (Göttingen: V&R unipress, 2022); with Roberto Hofmeister Pich, Mariana Paes and Paolo Terra eds., Current Trends in Slavery Studies in Brazil (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2023); with Claudia Rauhut, Ulrike Schmieder and Michael Zeuske, eds., Cultural Heritage and Slavery: Perspectives from Europe (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2023) and The Strong Asymmetrical Dependency Studies Reader (Bonn: BCDSS, 2024), https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/images/pdf-files/bcdss-reader-1st-ed.pdf.

It is free of charge, the event language is English. To join this invitation please register. Photos or videos will be taken during the event. By participating, you agree that these may be used on the OII website, newsletter and social media. The event will not be recorded.

VENUE

Orient-Institut Istanbul

Galip Dede Cad. 65, Şahkulu Mah., TR – 34421 Istanbul

Tel: +90 212 293 60 67 oiist@oiist.org www.oiist.org

REGISTRATION