ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to add some more pieces to the puzzle. It has its origins in the conference Istanbul – Kushta – Constantinople: Diversity of Identities and Personal Narratives in the Ottoman Capital (1830–1900) held in 2010 at the Orient-Institut Istanbul with the support of the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung. The book focuses on the Jewish communities of Istanbul, with studies drawing on Ladino, French and German narratives. It presents the richness of travel accounts by outside observers of Istanbul, ranging from American Protestant, Levantine Arab and Spanish Iberian perspectives. The book also presents four studies on Armenian and Bulgarian communities of Istanbul in the nineteenth century, as they were being confronted with social change threatening traditional hierarchies during the Ottoman period of reform ushered in by the Tanzimat.