Hellenic Studies Seminar Series: The Greek and Turkish Communities of Smyrna: Interaction or Coexistence?

When: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 | 18:00
Where: Deree Faculty Lounge

Speaker: Feryal Tansuğ, Deree – The American College of Greece & Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul

The seminar can also be attended via Zoom. The link will be provided on the day of the event and sent via email to those opting for online participation. 

Organized by: Institute for Hellenic Culture and the Liberal Arts

About the Lecture

The dynamics and local character of Smyrna allowed it to avoid societal and political conflicts in the age of the Ottoman Reforms (1839-1876) despite the turbulent events that occurred in the city in the late 18th and early 19th century. This seminar talk will explore the peculiar dynamics that strengthened Smyrna and provided social order and cohesion among its ethno-religious communities. In addition, it will investigate the interaction between the city’s Greek and Turkish communities and look closely at how the Ottoman Imperial Government responded to the strong local character of the city during its centralizing reforms.

After the seminar, refreshments and light snacks will be offered. 

Bio of the Speaker

Feryal Tansuğ received her PhD in Ottoman History from the University of Toronto. She teaches courses in Ottoman, Balkan, and Middle Eastern history. Her research interests include the social and economic transformation of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century, inter-communal relations in the multi-religious and multi-ethnic Ottoman society, the Mediterranean and Aegean Islands under Ottoman rule, and urban histories of the Eastern Mediterranean. She is the author of Smyrna, 1826-1864, Greek Turkish Relations in a Late Ottoman City (2018) and Greek Islanders in the Last Phase of Ottoman Rule (2018, in Turkish.)