Talks by Ceren Abi
is a historian of the modern Middle East and studies cultural heritage in times of armed conflict... more is a historian of the modern Middle East and studies cultural heritage in times of armed conflict. She also works on urban history, material and visual culture, and minorities in the Middle East and North Africa. She has a Ph.D. in History from UCLA. She has received her Master's degree in European History from Leiden University (via Europeaum Program with Paris I, Sorbonne, and Oxford University). She taught courses on the Middle East and North African history, cultural heritage, humanities, and world history at UCLA and Boğaziçi University. Her recent publications include articles on the history of archaeology in the Ottoman Empire and interactions between the occupiers and the occupied during the post-First World War period in the Middle East. Ümit Firat Açikgöz is an architectural and urban historian specializing in the late Ottoman and post-Ottoman Middle East and the Balkans. His interests include urban planning, architecture, historic preservation, and representations of urban space, broadly defined, in visual and written media. Açıkgöz's current book project explores urban transformations of Istanbul in the post-Ottoman/early republican period (1923-1949) at the intersection of local, national, and global dynamics. Drawing on research in various archives, contemporary publications, and literary pieces, his book project demonstrates the crucial role of local actors and institutions in shaping the trajectory of Istanbul's urban modernization, from architectural projects and preservation efforts to urban planning and domestication of global theories and practices.
ANAMED Kütüphane Konuşmaları kapsamında 17 Mayıs 2022 tarihinde Pınar Üre'nin konuşmasının modera... more ANAMED Kütüphane Konuşmaları kapsamında 17 Mayıs 2022 tarihinde Pınar Üre'nin konuşmasının moderatörlüğünü Ceren Abi gerçekleştirdi. Bu video, 1894 yılında İstanbul’da kurulan ve 1914 yılına kadar faaliyetlerini İstanbul merkezli olarak sürdüren, Birinci Dünya Savaşı sürecinde de Rus işgali altındaki bölgelerde çalışmalar yürüten Rus Arkeoloji Enstitüsü üzerinedir.
Koç Üniversitesi Suna Kıraç Kütüphanesi “İstanbul’u Dinliyorum…” , 2022
Birinci Dünya Savaşı ve İşgal Döneminde İstanbul'da Arkeoloji Çalışmaları Koç Üniversitesi Suna K... more Birinci Dünya Savaşı ve İşgal Döneminde İstanbul'da Arkeoloji Çalışmaları Koç Üniversitesi Suna Kıraç Kütüphanesi "İstanbul'u Dinliyorum…" podcast serisinin Mart ayındaki konuğu Ceren Abi idi. Kendisiyle İstanbul'un Harb-i Umumi ve mütareke yıllarında (1918-1923) şehirde arkeoloji alanında yapılan çalışmaları, kültürel miras alakalı atılan adımları, Fransız Ordusu tarafından yapılan kazıları, İmparatorluğun şehirdeki kültürel mirası korumak adına attığı adımları ve yabancı kökenli arkeoloji enstitülerinin faliyetlerini konuştuk. İstanbul'un en karanlık dönemlerinden biri olan savaş ve işgal dönemlerine yaptığımız bu yolculuğu, arkeoloji çalışmalarının zor koşullar altında nasıl yapıldığını, kazıların nasıl yürütüldüğünü, yaşanan tüm bu olumsuzluklara rağmen şehrin kültürel mirasının nasıl korunduğunu öğrenmek için sohbetimizi Spotify'dan dinleyebilirsiniz. Keyifli dinlemeler! https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jJKyNySSjv4Bt9WleqTNK?si=VcZMdVX-TOuRS568qEpIlQ Mart 8, 2022
Columbia Global Centers, Istanbul Politics of Archaeology II - Voices of Emerging Scholars Webinar Series, 2021
In this paper, I will focus on the archaeological activities of the Allied Forces during the occu... more In this paper, I will focus on the archaeological activities of the Allied Forces during the occupation of the Ottoman lands, specifically Istanbul after World War I. I will address three questions about archaeology under occupation: Why did the Allies engage in archaeology in the first place? What did they do with the antiquities they found? Why did the Allies not ship their archaeological finds in Istanbul to Europe, given that they did so from elsewhere in the empire?
I will begin by discussing the war, the occupation, and the archaeological activities in the Ottoman Empire in general and then focus on Istanbul. It is well known that all parties that fought on Ottoman lands carried out archaeological activities during the war. Why would they do this in the midst of a brutal global conflict? Why do so during an occupation? I present three reasons. Firstly, to stake territorial claims or at least to delineate a zone of influence. Secondly, to legitimize their occupation. Thirdly, to take advantage of an exceptional opportunity to produce knowledge, as well as to send antiquities to Europe which they did not do in the case of Istanbul.
The Great War hit non-Muslim communities of the Ottoman Empire particularly harshly. Nonetheless,... more The Great War hit non-Muslim communities of the Ottoman Empire particularly harshly. Nonetheless, Armenian, Greek-Orthodox, Jewish and Levantine communities of Istanbul had experienced the war and the following occupation of their city by British, French, and Italian forces quite differently than those communities who lived elsewhere in the empire. During the war censorship cut their communications with the world, the Ottoman state heavily intervened in their autonomous governments, curfews limited their movement and in some cases, they were subjected to genocide. They experience the Allied occupation differently as well. Istanbul at that time seemed to offer the possibility of a revival for their communities. The end of the war and the occupation also allowed Istanbul to become an information hub to not only count the dead but also to find the bodies. Moreover, massive losses that cut through community lines brought diverse communities together. This paper argues that Istanbul under Allied occupation allowed communities to imagine new and better futures for themselves. This paper examines the impact of the war on non-Muslim communities of Istanbul, looked down upon by the rulers and the occupiers alike, and the ways in which these communities reacted to the changes brought by the war and occupation. This paper goes beyond the Muslim and non-Muslim dichotomy and takes a closer look at the diversity in the city's inhabitants. From multi-communal charity balls during the war to public festivals during the occupation, this paper uses documents ranging from the Ottoman,
My paper focuses on entertainment during World War I (1914-1918) in the Ottoman capital. It will ... more My paper focuses on entertainment during World War I (1914-1918) in the Ottoman capital. It will discuss the impact of the war on entertainment, how the relationship between non-Muslim and Muslim Ottomans played out in the streets, and various recreation venues of Istanbul in times of extreme tension and hardship. I will assess the visibility practices of non-Muslim Ottomans and their engagement with the Muslim Ottomans as well as Germans who were allies of the Ottomans in the war.
After the First World War, Istanbul was under Allied occupation for five years. British, French, ... more After the First World War, Istanbul was under Allied occupation for five years. British, French, and Italian forces ruled the city and take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to engage in archeological excavations in the city as well as in related scholarly activities such as talks, publishing of scholarly works and planning of new schools of archeology based in Istanbul. In this paper, I track these activities and try to uncover the relationship and interaction between these activities and the Ottoman authorities as well as the Ottoman public. I ask why and how occupying armies engaged with archeology, what did they do with their finds as well as the impact of the archeological activities to the city and its peoples.While the political aspects of the Allied occupation of Istanbul are fairly well studied, the cultural aspects, especially archeological aspects are not studied so far. Accordingly, using sources collected from British, French, Italian and Ottoman archives, documents from British and French Archeological Schools in Athens which were engaged with the excavations in the Ottoman capital, and various contemporary scholarly publications and international and Ottoman newspapers this paper contributes to our understanding of the history of archeology and museums and the impact of the occupation to the city. It also contributes to our understanding of life in the occupied city, the dynamics between the occupiers and the occupied, and the uses of the city space by its diverse inhabitants.
This talk will discuss the motivations, opportunities, and activities of scholars and soldiers wi... more This talk will discuss the motivations, opportunities, and activities of scholars and soldiers with archeology and other cultural heritage-related activities and their reception by the public during the First World War. With the start of the war, scholars joined the war effort; the excavations sites were abandoned, public interest waned as the brutality of the war grew every day. However, the war created many new opportunities for all belligerents. Bombings, trenches, airplanes all contributed to the technical possibilities of archeology. At the same time, protection, and appreciation of cultural heritage, including archeology became one of the tools of the war. The public opinion became another battleground.
Teaching Documents by Ceren Abi
The Middle East is a popular destination for archaeologists, tourists, invaders and looters. Some... more The Middle East is a popular destination for archaeologists, tourists, invaders and looters. Some of these people, including some Middle Easterners, took cultural heritage to faraway lands and created remarkable museums to display them, some tried to preserve them in situ, and others bombed them to pieces. Accordingly, this course asks why people want to excavate and study artefacts and monuments, own them, display them in museums, and sometimes destroy them. This course examines the uses of archaeology in the Middle East from the nineteenth to the twenty first century and invites you to think about concepts like museums, historical artefacts and cultural heritage in a historical perspective. This course has five aims. The first is to study the reasons why we are interested in cultural heritage and the ways in which different people in different places imbued antiquities with various meanings. The second aim is to familiarize yourself with the history of archaeology in the Middle East. Study of Middle Eastern archaeology will allow us to understand the concept of historical context and the interconnected nature of domestic and international developments in the making of this historical context. The third aim is to gain competence in using historical sources critically. We will be looking at historical events from the perspective of multiple actors. The fourth aim is to broaden your perception of history of archaeology by introducing new topics of study such as wartime archaeology and new perspectives and experiences such as those of laborers. Lastly, this course aims to teach you how to write a research paper, from conception of the research idea to the writing of the final draft. This course asks the following questions: 1-What is cultural heritage? Why and how do we collect cultural heritage objects? Why, where, and how do we display them? 2-What was the political, social, and cultural context that paved the way for the discipline of archaeology in Europe? What is the relationship between imperialism and archaeology? 3-What was the political, social, and cultural context that paved the way for the practice of archaeology in the Middle East? 4-What are the ways in which people can use cultural heritage? Is there a right way and a wrong way? 5-Who owns cultural heritage? 1
Papers by Ceren Abi
Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association
Yıllık: Annual of Istanbul studies, Dec 30, 2022
Mode of publication: Worldwide periodical, published annually every December Note to contributors... more Mode of publication: Worldwide periodical, published annually every December Note to contributors: YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies accepts submissions in English and Turkish. Articles should conform to the usage of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), 17th edition, and to the style guides published on the journal's website. Articles in Turkish conform to a customized CMOS style available at the website. Research articles are subject to review by two anonymous reviewers and the editorial board. All other submissions are reviewed by the editorial board.
YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies 4 (2022), 2022
Mode of publication: Worldwide periodical, published annually every December Note to contributors... more Mode of publication: Worldwide periodical, published annually every December Note to contributors: YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies accepts submissions in English and Turkish. Articles should conform to the usage of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), 17th edition, and to the style guides published on the journal's website. Articles in Turkish conform to a customized CMOS style available at the website. Research articles are subject to review by two anonymous reviewers and the editorial board. All other submissions are reviewed by the editorial board.
Turkish Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2021
3 In the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which... more 3 In the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which is also known as the Hague Convention of 1954, the term "cultural property" covers "(a) movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological sites; groups of buildings which, as a whole, are of historical or artistic interest; works of art; manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest; as well as scientific collections and important collections of books or archives or of reproductions of the property defined above; (b) buildings whose main and effective purpose is to preserve or exhibit the movable cultural property defined in subparagraph (a) such as museums, large libraries and depositories of archives, and refuges intended to shelter, in the event of armed conflict, the movable cultural property defined in subparagraph (a); (c) centers containing a large amount of cultural property as defined in subparagraphs (a) and (b), to be known as 'centers containing monuments'". "Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict with Regulations for the Execution of the Convention," accessed August 17, 2019, http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13637&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html. I will use the terms cultural property and antiquities interchangeably as, in the period under discussion, the latter was the term associated with archeological artifacts. 3 important roles in making colonial and imperial claims over the Ottoman Empire. The historical remains were also entangled with the history of the war and the occupation. I argue that notions of the past, its material remains, and its investigation, preservation, and protection became matters of international import and were used by the British, French, Italian, Russian and Ottoman states as weapons of war and occupation during and after the First World War. Instrumentalizing cultural property related activities as weapons of war and occupation took many forms, from using protection measures as markers of a state's supposedly higher civilization to legitimizing its territorial claims based on ancient remains found in the Ottoman lands. My research brings together the themes of war and cultural property and situates these activities in a wide Middle Eastern and European context. I show that cultural property related activities were not a low priority in the war and occupation despite the heavy burdens of these periods, and in fact were part of those efforts. Moreover, the war and occupation themselves provided new opportunities to use the past and cultural property. The Ottoman Empire, with its capital city Istanbul, encompassed many territories that were home to many ancient civilizations. From Mesopotamia to North Africa, the empire was dotted with the material remains of many different peoples. This was the case even when the borders of the empire shrank from the nineteenth century onwards. Housing many layers of the past and their remains made the Ottoman Empire an attractive destination at first for diplomats, travelers and scholars who were interested in the past, later for archeologists and tourists. In this sense, the experiences of the Ottoman Empire were similar to other so called "source countries"
<jats:p>The Young Turk Revolution refers to the events that occurred in 1908 under the init... more <jats:p>The Young Turk Revolution refers to the events that occurred in 1908 under the initiative of the Committee of Union and Progress (İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti) (CUP) and that were carried out in Macedonia by young Ottoman army officers, who restored the constitution shelved in 1878 by the sultan Abdülhamit II. (There remains some disagreement about describing these events as a 'revolution'). The uprising led to elections and a reconvening of the parliament, which the Committee hoped would enable the survival of the Ottoman Empire against rival imperial powers (Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia). The CUP, a secret society that later became a political organization, did not overthrow the sultan at first, preferring to rule behind the scenes. The uprising can be considered a continuation of the constitutionalist movements of the nineteenth century, but it also heralded changes to sociopolitical life, such as the rise of a new élite, the increasing involvement of the army in government, and the emergence of party politics. The revolution was enthusiastically received for a time, and a vibrant sociopolitical life emerged with the dismantling of many of Abdülhamit's authoritarian policies.</jats:p>
During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Arabs of the Ottoman Empire established ma... more During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Arabs of the Ottoman Empire established many societies to demand reforms within the empire. While the demands took a great variety of forms, th e content and how they were voiced were results of the impact of modernity . The Arabs used modern ideas like representation and participation, and mo dern techniques to create public opinion and make themselves heard. Thus the Arabs were shaped by modernization and in turn they wanted to shape and participate in modernization in the Empire. However, there was a great diversity of opinion among Arabs, and this undermined their attempts to create unified front against the government. The Ottoman government recognized some of the demands and implemented limited reforms, while taking advantage of the divisions between the Arabs. The dynamics of the re form demands were shaped by contemporary developments internal and external to the empire, and these dynamics also coloured the content and i...
From Istanbul to Byzantium 1800-1950 , 2021
Byzantine Archaeology during the First World War (1914-1923): Destruction, Exploration, Protection
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Talks by Ceren Abi
I will begin by discussing the war, the occupation, and the archaeological activities in the Ottoman Empire in general and then focus on Istanbul. It is well known that all parties that fought on Ottoman lands carried out archaeological activities during the war. Why would they do this in the midst of a brutal global conflict? Why do so during an occupation? I present three reasons. Firstly, to stake territorial claims or at least to delineate a zone of influence. Secondly, to legitimize their occupation. Thirdly, to take advantage of an exceptional opportunity to produce knowledge, as well as to send antiquities to Europe which they did not do in the case of Istanbul.
Teaching Documents by Ceren Abi
Papers by Ceren Abi
I will begin by discussing the war, the occupation, and the archaeological activities in the Ottoman Empire in general and then focus on Istanbul. It is well known that all parties that fought on Ottoman lands carried out archaeological activities during the war. Why would they do this in the midst of a brutal global conflict? Why do so during an occupation? I present three reasons. Firstly, to stake territorial claims or at least to delineate a zone of influence. Secondly, to legitimize their occupation. Thirdly, to take advantage of an exceptional opportunity to produce knowledge, as well as to send antiquities to Europe which they did not do in the case of Istanbul.