Working in the Ottoman Empire and in Turkey: Ottoman and Turkish Labour History within a Global Perspective

Date: November 18-20, 2011
Place: Dolapdere Campus, Court Hall

The conference is organized with the generous support of The International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam; Orient Institut, İstanbul; Re:Work, The International Research Center “Work and Human Lifecycle in Global History” at Humboldt University in Berlin; and TÜSTAV, Social History Research Foundation of Turkey, İstanbul. The conference seeks to facilitate critical dialogue among scholars about new directions and possibilities for research in Ottoman and Turkish labour history; situate Ottoman and Turkish labour history within the regional context of Southeastern Europe and the Middle East; raise awareness in Turkey about recent developments in labour historiography in other parts of the world, including India, Africa, and the Americas; and explore the use of alternative sources and new methodologies. Participating scholars will address topics including the relationship between workers and the state; organized labour; free and unfree forms of labour, including slavery; solidarity and conflict amongst workers; different forms of regulating work; urban workers; and gender and domestic divisions of labour.