Join Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies for a lecture “Softa and Yafta: Revisiting Power, Protests, and Massacres in the Late Ottoman Empire”, by Ümit Kurt (Associate Professor of History, University of Newcastle, Australia) followed by a discussion with Edhem Eldem (Professor of History, Columbia University)
Abstract:
This talk highlights the importance of the softa (medrese students) to our understanding of the late Ottoman Empire and sectarian politics in the Middle East. While usually depicted as reactionaries, the softa were motivated by diverse ideologies running the gamut from liberal-egalitarian to conservative-hierarchical. The softa were often part of broader political movements, sometimes connecting civilians with the military, socialists and conservatives, Christians and Muslims, monarchists and constitutionalists. Understanding the diversity of the softa — and the threat some of them posed to the government — will elucidate the politics of opposition and protest, as well as the dynamics of repression in the late Ottoman Empire. Moreover, when studying the history of softa, alongside the broader story of Muslim opposition, new insight might be gained on why the Ottoman government sanctioned the massacres against the Armenian population between 1894 and 1897. For nearly a century, between the destruction of the Janissaries in 1826 and the closure of the medrese in 1924, the softa were key actors in Ottoman political life. In 1876 the softa contributed greatly to the struggle for an Ottoman constitution and bringing Midhat Pasha back to power. Abdülhamid II was well aware of the threat they posed to authoritarian governance and sought to control them through patronage and exile. By tracing the complex relationships between softa and other student groups, from the socialist Armenian Hunchak to their peers in the medical and military colleges, this talk explores another aspect of how Abdülhamid II maintained his rule. Fearful of opposition from liberal-egalitarian Muslims, including some factions of the softa, Abdülhamid II made use of the Armenian issue in the 1890s to strengthen his hold on power. The pogroms against the Armenian population in the mid-1890s were in part a tactic to deflect Muslim opposition to the Hamidian government.
Event Details:
️Monday, November 10 , 4:10 PM - 5:30 PM
Schermerhorn Hall, room 807, Columbia University
This event is free and open to the public.
Registration is required. Non-Columbia guests must register by November 8 to receive a campus access code.
