What is it about?
In the pre-modern period, women in the Ottoman Empire were defined by different religious, political and cultural expressions. These expressions were valid for both Muslim and non-Muslim women who were considered as "Ottoman women". A woman's marital status, social status and moral or immoral acts required the addition of some phrases before or after her name. These expressions were shaped by the beliefs or cultural acceptances belonging to this society, whether a woman is a mother or a wife, widowed or single, prostitute or chaste, in the Ottoman state and in the Trabzon society in particular.
Featured Image
Photo by Ives Ives on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The study has shown that the social roles and acceptances of women, both in pre-modern and modern periods, are a product of cultural, religious and political understanding and are completely male-centered. Being the wife and mother of a man, the recognition of women with high social status or chaste women as more respectable and the exclusion of lewd women from society are not independent of the social position and acceptance of men.
Perspectives
This article was a good experience for me in understanding the Ottoman woman. I hope this article sheds some light on the fact that women still need to get rid of patriarchal patterns. With the influence of religious and cultural acceptances, a woman is not defined as someone's mother, wife or daughter, but her own identity is accepted in her own individuality.
Asistant Professor Aslı ÖZCAN
Karadeniz Teknik Universitesi
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Perception of Women in Trabzon Sharīʿa Court Records, Hawwa, November 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15692086-bja10031.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
