Moral Crisis in the Ottoman Empire

Rezensionen / Stimmen

In an era of total war and destruction, the Ottoman Empire was also in the middle of a "moral crisis," as Cigdem Oguz explores in her groundbreaking book. It is an insightful and well-researched book that sheds light on a critical period in Ottoman history. By examining the social, political, and gender dynamics of the empire amid the Great War, a time when the empire faced significant challenges and transformations, Oguz's book brings into bold relief neglected episodes of Ottoman history. * Journal of Middle East Women's Studies * Moral Crisis in the Ottoman Empire provides a useful framework and contribution in this field of study, and will certainly prompt discussions and further research. * Middle East Monitor * The author has successfully grasped a complex and abstract concept. ... a seminal exploration of women's issues and society during World War I in the Ottoman Empire. * The Journal of Eurasian Inquiries * Moral Crisis in the Ottoman Empire is based on rich archival research and contributes to a growing literature on the histories of gender and sexuality during the First World War. By placing 1914-18 developments into the longue duree of Ottoman history, Oguz can identify shifts and continuities in the histories of policing, state-civilian relations, gender hierarchies, religious authority, and moral panics. * Journal of Islamic Studies * 'Based on a broad array of original sources, this timely study gives us a full and multi-layered picture of the debates on, and realities of, the issue of public morality in the Ottoman Empire during World War l, an issue that was crucial to its legitimacy as an Islamic empire.' 'A brilliant book of social and cultural history on an under researched topic. Focusing on discussions on moral decline and Muslim identity and exploring policies on gender and family, Oguz provides us with an original and long-awaited analysis of the Ottoman home front during WWI and the sociocultural transformation it entailed.' 'By using a sound empirical data from the Ottoman World War I years, this book, I believe, is a great contribution to understand how and why times of competing visions of morality and increasing discourse on moral crisis reflect the state of a society in crisis, decay, turmoil and transformation.'