Public Space, Modernity, and Empire Building: Ottoman Syria and Lebanon, French Maghrib (1830-1914)

FAIN: FT-52123-04

Zeynep Celik
New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, NJ 07102-1824)

The project will study nineteenth century public spaces in French colonies in the Maghrib and Ottoman provinces in the Middle East, arguing that they represented a new order associated with modernity. The European-style avenues, streets, squares, and parks, inserted into cities ranging from major centers to smaller towns brought significant transformations to built forms and the lives of the citizens throughout. Yet, each place was shaped by its specific conditions. A close look at the production of public spaces in a comparative framework will broaden the discourse on modernity in architecture, show the intertwined nature of empire building and the project of modernity, and introduce complex cross-cultural communication patterns.