Agrarian Relations, Property and Law: An Analysis of the Land Code of 1858 in the Ottoman Empire

2009-01-01
Contrary to the prevalent tendencies of 'state-centrism' and legal formalism in the literature, this article studies the Ottoman Land Code of 1858 not as an initiator of trends but as a product of social change. The Code recognized private property on land, enlarged liberties of landholders, and pushed inheritance rules further towards gender equality. Deeply influenced by the uneven development of the capitalist relations of production, agrarian conflict, and the complex matrix of the interests of ruling groups, Ottoman land law in the nineteenth century unmistakably evolved in the direction of modern law based on the abstract individual and full commodification of land.
MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

Suggestions

Cultural actors as agents of generating social co-presences within the place: Istanbul's contemporary art scene
KAHYA, GÜZİN YELİZ; Ataöv Demirkan, Anlı (Informa UK Limited, 2019-06-03)
This paper builds on the designation of cultural actors' actions as a decisive factor in the emergence of urban patterns of art-driven social co-presences in Istanbul. It contributes to the creative city debate from the perspective of community development by incorporating the contemporary arts into urban social space making efforts. Methodologically, the locations of art organizations in the contemporary arts scene of Istanbul are approached as an urban pattern of art driven social co-presences that result...
On the short but eventful life of Abdulhalim Memduh
Wasti, Syed Tanvir (Informa UK Limited, 2019-12-06)
Reforms introduced in 1839 (known as the Tanzimat) which were intended to modernize the Ottoman political and administrative structure, led inevitably to movements which introduced new literary ideas into the Ottoman cultural sphere. One of the first writers who wished to see Ottoman literature catch up with developments in Europe was Abdulhalim Memduh (1866 - 1905). His contributions covered the areas of poetry, prose, drama, journalism and political activism. Memduh was not content with using classical ch...
Artisan Entrepreneurs in Cairo and Early Modern Capitalism (1600-1800)
Yıldırım, Onur (Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2013-02-01)
to Sardar Asad’s Tarikh-i Bakhtiyari (1911) and to the writings of local scholars, which are not free of inaccuracies in regard to the origin of tribal subdivisions (p. 21), the localization of the tribe’s summer and winter quarters (pp. 55–56), and the status of the land (p. 105). These flaws could have been avoided in part or in full had the author paid closer attention to anthropological studies. It comes as a surprise to notice that Khazeni, while claiming to have adopted a viewpoint from the periphery,...
Procreation, family and 'progress': Administrative and economic aspects of Ottoman population policies in the 19th century
Dursun, Selçuk (Informa UK Limited, 2011-06-15)
The making of the modern Ottoman state in the 19th century was closely interrelated with population issues and policies. 'Population' became an important component of Ottoman history throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. As the state identified the 'population' as a source of income after the Tanzimat, it tried to protect and procreate it through certain institutional arrangements and regulations. These policies consisted of protecting the existing population, controlling population movements, promo...
The impact of the Balkan Wars on Ottoman history writing Searching for a soul
Boyar, Ebru (Informa UK Limited, 2014-01-01)
Based on histories, accounts and articles published after the Balkan Wars, this article argues that, contrary to the commonly accepted thesis, the Balkan Wars did notmark the point at which Turkism became the dominant state ideology. There was in fact no clear-cut and definite shift toward Turkism at this point. Instead there was an increasing awareness of the need for a 'common soul' that would unite the population of the empire in the face of dramatic challenges such as the Balkan Wars
Citation Formats
E. A. Aytekin, “Agrarian Relations, Property and Law: An Analysis of the Land Code of 1858 in the Ottoman Empire,” MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, pp. 935–951, 2009, Accessed: 00, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/36468.