The making of an Ottoman port-city : the state, local elites and urban space in Salonika, 1870-1912
My dissertation aims at giving an account of the late Ottoman city of Salonica and its establishment as a major urban and commercial centre in the period between 1870 and 1912. As such, it follows the growing debate on late Ottoman history, and in particular the role of the empire's port-cities. My study focuses on the emergence of two distinct local elites: The Ottoman provincial officialdom, whose presence was being increasingly felt, as the Tanzimat, the nineteenth-century Ottoman reforms progressed; and a diverse local bourgeoisie that took advantage of the opportunities presented by the integration of the region within the commercial networks that crisscrossed the Mediterranean. Urban governance was grounded upon a consensus between these two groups. It was structured around a hegemonic discourse of modernisation, semi-representative structures of local administration, as well as the profits generated by a nascent real estate market - itself a product of urban expansion and renovation. This balance was placed into doubt in the beginning of the twentieth century. As tensions in Macedonia escalated into ethnic conflict, the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 promised to redraft the contract between the Ottoman
Dimitriadis, Sotirios
The making of an Ottoman port-city : the state, local elites and urban space in Salonika, 1870-1912. My dissertation aims at giving an account of the late Ottoman city of Salonica and its establishment as a major urban and commercial centre in the period between 1870 and 1912. As such, it follows the growing debate on late Ottoman history, and in particular the role of the empire's port-cities. My study focuses on the emergence of two distinct local elites: The Ottoman provincial officialdom, whose presence was being increasingly felt, as the Tanzimat, the nineteenth-century Ottoman reforms progressed; and a diverse local bourgeoisie that took advantage of the opportunities presented by the integration of the region within the commercial networks that crisscrossed the Mediterranean. Urban governance was grounded upon a consensus between these two groups. It was structured around a hegemonic discourse of modernisation, semi-representative structures of local administration, as well as the profits generated by a nascent real estate market - itself a product of urban expansion and renovation. This balance was placed into doubt in the beginning of the twentieth century. As tensions in Macedonia escalated into ethnic conflict, the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 promised to redraft the contract between the Ottoman
make ottoman port_city state local_elite urban_space aim give_account late ottoman city establishment major urban commercial centre period follow grow debate late ottoman history particular_role empire port cities study_focus emergence two_distinct local_elite ottoman provincial whose presence increasingly felt nineteenth_century ottoman reform progress diverse local bourgeoisie take_advantage opportunity_present integration region within commercial network mediterranean urban governance ground upon consensus two_group structure_around hegemonic discourse modernisation semi representative structure local_administration well profit generate nascent real estate market product urban expansion renovation balance place doubt begin tension macedonia escalate ethnic conflict young revolution promise contract ottoman