Overview

Her toplum kendi normalini yarattığı gibi kendi “anormal”ini, “azınlık”ını, “toplum dışına atılmışları”nı da yaratır. Örneğin günümüzde kadınlar hem kamusal alanda hem yazılı metinlerde daha görünür iken Osmanlı toplumunda ilk bakışta hemen fark edilmeyecek kadar “marjinal”dirler. Benzer şekilde günümüzde bekâr olmak ciddi bir sorun teşkil etmezken, Osmanlı Devleti bekârlardan daha fazla vergi alarak onları ötekileştirirdi. Latin Avrupa’da istenmeyen Yahudiler ve göçebeler Osmanlılar’ın ana gruplarındandı. Kıptîler ise iki toplumda da kenarda sayılırdı.

Just as every society creates its own “normal”, it also creates its own ‘abnorma,’ its ‘minorities,’ and its ‘outcasts.’ For example, while women are more visible today in both the public sphere and in written texts, in Ottoman society they were so ‘marginal’ that they were not immediately noticeable at first glance. Similarly, while being single is not a serious problem today, the Ottoman Empire marginalised singles by taxing them more heavily. Unwanted Jews and nomads in Latin Europe were among the main groups in the Ottoman Empire. Copts, on the other hand, were considered marginal in both societies.
This course examines how certain groups outside the Grand Narrative were positioned within historical events. At the beginning of the term, we will focus on cultural history, folk culture, marginality, and normality, and then each week we will examine some marginal groups in Ottoman history. The aim is to provide participants with a certain perspective on those who have been marginalised by history. Each week, discussions will be held on the similarities and differences between those considered marginal in Ottoman history and today’s marginalised groups.