| FA-58438-15 | Research Programs: Fellowships for University Teachers | Ibrahim Kaya Sahin | Ottoman Public Ceremonies, 1520-1566 | 6/1/2015 - 5/31/2016 | $50,400.00 | Ibrahim | Kaya | Sahin | | | | Indiana University, Bloomington | Bloomington | IN | 47405-7000 | USA | 2014 | Near and Middle Eastern History | Fellowships for University Teachers | Research Programs | 50400 | 0 | 50400 | 0 |
A Performative Empire is a book-length study on the emergence of a new Ottoman ceremonial culture in the first half of the sixteenth century. The new ceremonies included royal weddings and circumcisions, military parades, the sultan’s entries into conquered cities, the reception of diplomats, the public punishment of criminals, and religious processions. A new Ottoman imperial identity was created, performed and propagated on these occasions. My book approaches the ceremonies as performances that created a space of negotiation between the authorities and the subjects. By forging a dynamic political and cultural link between the sultan and his subjects, ceremonies became integral components of Ottoman governance, and eventually helped establish a new Ottoman public space. My book studies these ceremonies in comparison with similar events observed in other early modern empires and kingdoms in Eurasia, through the testimonies of contemporary Ottomans and European diplomats and travelers. |