Fighting the Minor Evils: Slavery and the Diverse Lives of Abolitionism in the Ottoman Empire

Karamursel, Ceyda

doi:10.1017/S0020743825000017

Fighting the Minor Evils: Slavery and the Diverse Lives of Abolitionism in the Ottoman Empire

Karamursel, Ceyda

Authors

DR Ceyda Karamursel ck17@soas.ac.uk
Lecturer in the Hist of the Mod Mid East

Abstract

Historians have long argued that abolitionism, as a distinct political project, never fully took root in the Ottoman Empire. While anti-slavery measures emerged from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, they are often seen as state-imposed responses to diplomatic pressure. From a state-focused perspective, abolition indeed appears to be the result of actions by the Ottoman state and international community, inevitably so, given its entanglement with the emergence and development of the Congress system in the aftermath of the Congress of Vienna. Yet a focus on individuals, organizations, and institutions also suggests a subversive, practical abolitionism concerned with everyday injustices rather than lofty ideals. This paper examines such efforts, reframing abolitionism as a political issue rather than a moral one detached from broader transformations. By situating abolitionist thought within the late Ottoman Empire’s increasingly radical politics, it challenges the conventional state-centered narrative, highlighting the diverse actors who shaped anti-slavery discourse and action.

Citation

Karamursel, C. (2024). Fighting the Minor Evils: Slavery and the Diverse Lives of Abolitionism in the Ottoman Empire. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 56(4), 610-626. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743825000017

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jan 20, 2025
Online Publication Date	Mar 10, 2025
Publication Date	Nov 1, 2024
Deposit Date	Mar 11, 2025
Publicly Available Date	Mar 11, 2025
Journal	International Journal of Middle East Studies
Print ISSN	0020-7438
Electronic ISSN	1471-6380
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	56
Issue	4
Pages	610-626
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743825000017
Keywords	abolition, Ottoman Empire, slave trade, slavery, subversion
Publisher URL	https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/article/fighting-the-minor-evils-slavery-and-the-diverse-lives-of-abolitionism-in-the-ottoman-empire/385DCFE2A79BAB2756CB3591C9B146A0

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