PISC nº4: “Suret-i hall ve fasl: The Ottoman Central Government’s Quest for a General ‘Way of Solution’ to Land Question”

The Princeton Islamic Studies Colloquium is a forum at Princeton University for workshopping students’ and guest scholars’ works-in-progress in Islamic Studies and related fields.

Abstract: This chapter, which is a part of an ongoing research project, examines the Ottoman central government’s policies regarding the “land question” in the “Six Provinces” (Vilayat-ı Sitte) during the period from 1908 to 1911. The term “land question” refers to conflicts over rights of lands between different classes and ethno-religious groups, especially between Kurdish tribal heads and Armenian peasants. After the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, Armenian peasants started a new campaign to assert their claims to lands usurped by the Kurdish tribal heads or occupied by Caucasus immigrants during the previous Hamidian era. This development brought the land question to the forefront attention. Based on Ottoman, British and French archives, this chapter primarily explores the policies implemented by the Ottoman central government, assesses the impacts of these policies, and analyzes the reasons behind their failure to effectively resolve the land question.

The paper and a Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

This event is presented by the Near Eastern Studies Department and co-sponsored by the Department of Religion, Near Eastern Studies Program, Center for Culture, Society and Religion, and the Humanities Council with support from the Stewart Fund for Religion