Maria Christina Chatziioannou, Sophia Laiou (eds.)
Routledge, 2024 [ISBN 9781003500780, p. 276]
Τύπος: Νέες Εκδόσεις

This book provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Ottoman Empire’s economic history, particularly through its exploration of local entrepreneurship, which brings new perspectives to the economic dynamics of the region.
This focus adds a valuable dimension to the broader narrative of Mediterranean social and economic developments from the 18th to the 20th century. By emphasizing the role of both Muslim and non-Muslim agents, the work challenges more Eurocentric narratives that have often influenced the historiography of economic activities in this region. The inclusion of Ottoman, Turkish, and Greek sources underlines the importance of accessing voices and records that have been underutilized in previous studies. The fact that this project is a result of Greek–Turkish academic cooperation is particularly noteworthy, as it promotes a more nuanced and comprehensive view toward shared histories in order to shed light on complex historical phenomena.

This work will be of interest to scholars of Ottoman and Mediterranean history seeking to explore the nuances of economic and social change from within the Ottoman Empire. It will also appeal to a wider audience interested in the history of early entrepreneurial activities and the complex interplay between cultural and economic dynamics in historical contexts.

Table of contents

Introduction

Maria Christina Chatziioannou and Sophia Laiou

Part 1: Forms of Entrepreneurship and Social Mobility

1. Aspects of Capital Accumulation in Thessaloniki of the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century: Capital Structure, Entrepreneurial Strategies, and Economic Characteristics of a Muslim Urban Elite

Dimitris Papastamatiou

2. Capitalist Practices of Thessalonican Greek Merchants Around the 1820s

Phokion Kotzageorgis

3. Ottoman Greek Entrepreneurs in Istanbul in the Early 1800s

Sophia Laiou

4. Wealth Accumulation and Investment Methods of Sarrafs (Moneychangers) in 18th Century Ιstanbul

Ertan Ünlü

5. Signs of Wealth: Emerging Consumption in Early Modern Southeastern Europe

Artemis Yagou

Part 2: The 1820s: The Dawn of a New Era

6. Between Private Wealth and State Revenues: Was Ali Paşa of Ioannina a Rich Man?

Dimitris Dimitropoulos

7. Janissary Inter-Provincial Economic Practices During the 1821 Greek War of Independence

Yannis Spyropoulos

8. The Wealth Accumulated by Merchants in the 1820s: Levels, Gradations, Distributions

Simos Bozikis

Part 3: Tanzimat and the New Economic Horizons

9. Locality and Transnational Trade: The Role of the Ottoman Greek Merchant-Entrepreneur

Maria Christina Chatziioannou

10. Businesses and Investment Strategies in the Cigarette Industry of the Eastern Mediterranean, Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries

Thanasis Betas

11. Motifs of Primary Accumulation in the Ottoman Empire: The Bankers of Galata and the Case of Andreas Syngros

Dimitrios Stergiopoulos

Part 4: Land Possession and Entrepreneurship

12. Capital and Wealth in the Ottoman Balkans at the Turn of the 19th Century: Some Evidence from Salonica

Yücel Terzibaşoğlu

13. Çiftlik Holdings in Western Anatolia: The Karaosmanoğlu Family and the Baltazzi Family in the 18th–19th Centuries

Alp Yücel Kaya

14. Wealth Inequality, Çiftliks, and the Question of Agrarian Capitalism in Cyprus During the 1830s

Antonis Hadjikyriacou

15. Stephan Spartalian: An Armenian Entrepreneur in the Age of ‘National Economy’ of the Young Turk Period

Yaşar Tolga Cora