The Margins of Empire
Kurdish Militias in the Ottoman Tribal Zone
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Stanford University Press
Published:31st May '11
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£23.99(9781503600614)
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Ottoman state identified multiple threats in its eastern regions. In an attempt to control remote Kurdish populations, Ottoman authorities organized them into a tribal militia and gave them the task of subduing a perceived Armenian threat. Following the story of this militia, Klein explores the contradictory logic of how states incorporate groups they ultimately aim to suppress and how groups who seek autonomy from the state often attempt to do so through state channels.
In the end, Armenian revolutionaries were not suppressed and Kurdish leaders, whose authority the state sought to diminish, were empowered. The tribal militia left a lasting impact on the region and on state-society and Kurdish-Turkish relations. Putting a human face on Ottoman-Kurdish histories while also addressing issues of state-building, local power dynamics, violence, and dispossession, this book engages vividly in the study of the paradoxes inherent in modern statecraft.
"The Margins of Empire will certainly stand as a cornerstone for future research into the construction of Kurdish identity and politics as well as the making of modern eastern Anatolia." -- Ryan Gingeras * International Journal of Middle East Studies *
"[T]his fine study constitutes an essential work for scholars of Ottoman Anatolia and Kurdish history and an instructive one for scholars of empire and indirect rule." -- Michael A. Reynolds * American Historical Review *
"The Margins of Empire is a fascinating study of history and the interactions of many peoples with one another." -- Midwest Book Review
"There should be no doubt that The Margins of Empire will become standard reading for students of Kurdish Studies and for Ottomanists who focus on tribes." -- Hakan Özoglu * Middle East Journal *
"Klein sheds light on some of the most important and complicated relations and negotiations the Ottoman officials were engaged in as their empire crumbled around them. She never loses sight of the broader implications of her work in this original, highly valuable look at a significant period in the history of the Middle East." -- Resat Kasaba * University of Washington *
"This is a most welcome and very significant contribution to Kurdish history and to the history of the eastern provinces during the late Ottoman period. The rich documentation of the saga of the Kurds as they undergo a very difficult transformation will generate healthy scholarly debate. An excellent book." -- Fatma Müge Göçek * University of Michigan *
ISBN: 9780804775700
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 522g
288 pages