Ulrike Freitag

An urban history of Jeddah from the late Ottoman period to the present day, seen through its diverse and changing population.

The Gate to Mecca in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

A History of Jeddah

Based on Hadhrami and British sources, as well as on fieldwork in Yemen and Indonesia, this text traces the ways in which members of the diaspora and travellers interacted with the homeland through their remittances, political initiatives and the introduction of new ideas and institutions.

Reforming the Homeland

Indian Ocean Migrants and State Formation in Hadhramaut

Nora Lafi

Urban Governance Under the Ottomans focuses on one of the most pressing topics in this field, namely the question why cities formerly known for their multiethnic and multi- religious composition became increasingly marked by conflict in the 19th century. This collection of essays represents the result of an intense process of discussion among many of the authors, who have been invited to combine theoretical considerations on the question sketched above, with concrete case studies based upon original archival research. From Istanbul to Aleppo, and from the Balkans to Jerusalem, what emerges from the book is a renewed image of the imperial and local mechanisms of coexistence, and of their limits and occasional dissolution in times of change and crisis. Raising questions of governance and changes therein, as well as epistemological questions regarding what has often been termed 'cosmopolitanism', this book calls for a closer investigation of incidents of both peaceful coexistence, as well as episodes of violence and conflict. A useful addition to existing literature, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers in the fields of Urban Studies, History and Middle Eastern Studies.

Between Cosmopolitanism and Conflict

Urban Governance Under the Ottomans

William Clarence-Smith

The story of Hadhramaut and its diaspora illuminates significant aspects of Indian Ocean history, notably the role of non-Western merchants, Islamisation and controversies within Islam, British clashes with the Ottomans, and social transformations through migration.

Hadhrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s-1960s

André Chappatte

Cities the world over and in particular developing countries suffer from uneven development and inequality. This is often coupled with the view that these inequalities constitute unfortunate anomalies. In contrast, this edited volume draws out the ways in which the city has not been able to exist without its margins, both materially, ideationally, and socially. In this book the margins are, first, the mirrors of the city and, second, a fundamental route through which various centers can legitimate and sustain their power. Contemporary case studies are compared to a number of those from history with the accent on Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and engage with the underlying theoretical questions of what is the urban margin and what is marginality in urban society and spaces?

Pluridisciplinary Perspectives from Case Studies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East

Understanding the City through its Margins

William G. Clarence-Smith

Hadhrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s to 1960s

This history of Hadhramaut in the 19th and 20th centuries shows the fascinating influence of diasporic merchants and scholars in the Indian Ocean on the evolution of their tribal homeland. It argues that international networks contributed to the formation of a modernity that was adapted to local conditions.

Malte Fuhrmann

Florian Riedler

The nexus of urban governance and human migration was a crucial feature in the modernisation of cities in the Ottoman Empire of the nineteenth century. This book connects these two concepts to examine the Ottoman city as a destination of human migration, throwing new light on the question of conviviality and cosmopolitanism from the perspective of the legal, administrative and political frameworks within which these occur. Focusing on groups of migrants with various ethnic, regional and professional backgrounds, the book juxtaposes the trajectories of these people with attempts by local administrations and the government to control their movements and settlements. By combining a perspective from below with one that focuses on government action, the authors offer broad insights into the phenomenon of migration and city life as a whole. Chapters explore how increased migration driven by new means of transport, military expulsion and economic factors were countered by the state’s attempts to control population movements, as well as the strong internal reforms in the Ottoman world. Providing a rare comparative perspective on an area often fragmented by area studies boundaries, this book will be of great interest to students of History, Middle Eastern Studies, Balkan Studies, Urban Studies and Migration Studies.

Ulrike Freitag

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