Islam and Nationalism in Modern Greece, 1821-1940
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:23rd Mar '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Drawing from a wide range of archival and secondary Greek, Bulgarian, Ottoman, and Turkish sources, Islam and Nationalism in Modern Greece, 1821-1940 explores the way in which the Muslim populations of Greece were ruled by state authorities from the time of Greece's political emancipation from the Ottoman Empire in the 1820s until the country's entrance into the Second World War, in October 1940. The book examines how state rule influenced the development of the Muslim population's collective identity as a minority and affected Muslim relations with the Greek authorities and Orthodox Christians. Greece was the first country in the Balkans to become an independent state and a pioneer in experimenting with minority issues. Greece's ruling framework and many state administrative measures and patterns would serve as templates in other Christian Orthodox Balkan states with Muslim minorities (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Cyprus). Muslim religious officials were empowered with authority which they did not have in Ottoman times, and aspects of the Islamic law (Sharia) were incorporated into the state legal system to be used for Muslim family and property affairs. Religion remained a defining element in the political, social, and cultural life of the post-Ottoman Balkans; Stefanos Katsikas explores the role religious nationalism and public institutions have played in the development and preservation of religious and ethnic identity. Religion remains a key element of individual and collective identity but only as long as there are strong institutions and the political framework to support and maintain religious diversity.
Noting the under-researched nature of his topic, Katsikas offers the results of more than twenty years' work in this volume. * Daniel Pipes, Middle East Quarterly *
As Greece commemorates the bicentenary of its War of Independence, this is a timely study of the complex minority issue that emerged. It is a thoroughly researched account of the fate of the Muslim minority incorporated into the new nation. It provides expert, well-judged analysis over a terrain covered in sensitivities and controversy. It opens the door for future researchers. * Kevin Featherstone, Elefterios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and European Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science *
An important and fascinating history of a neglected population and subject. Katsikas deftly traces the changing meanings of nationality, religion, and belonging in Greece's first century of existence and reveals that supposedly deep-rooted categorizations are in fact malleable and relatively recent. * K.E. Fleming, Alexander S. Onassis Professor of Hellenic Culture and Civilization, New York University *
Appearing in the year of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, this courageous book complicates the rich history of Greek nationalism. Carving new research vistas, empirically rich and theoretically savvy, it offers a balanced picture of the unique and original minority governance of the Muslim community in Greece until the Second World War. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of the whole Balkan region and broadly on minority issues. * Maria Todorova, Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor of History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign *
Katsikas' work lays an important foundation in the English language scholarship of post-independence Greece by considering what happened to the "Ottoman" element in Greek society. * Alexander Billinis, The Hydramerican *
A copy of Katsikas' Islam and Nationalism in Modern Greece 1821-1940 should be in the toolkit of every scholar of modern Greece because it is authoritative and richly detailed. * Nicholas Doumanis, Journal of Religious History *
The book constitutes an important contribution to the field and should fare well both with an academic readership and the general audience as it offers a thoroughly researched and highly readable account of a most complex subject. * Dimitris Antoniou, History: Reviews of New Books *
ISBN: 9780190652005
Dimensions: 165mm x 241mm x 25mm
Weight: 567g
296 pages