Veruschka Wagner – författare

What kind of images and perceptions about the English would an Ottoman convey to readers in his descriptive accounts of his travels? And what conclusions would he infer about his own culture? This anonymous traveller visited England in 1851 and logged his observations and impressions in the "Seyāḥatnāme-i Londra" (London Travelogue). His accounts supply a wealth of rich information that the author analyses and derives new knowledge about and insights into the foreign and self-perception of the Ottoman Empire. On both the linguistic and contextual level, the author explores how the travel narrator perceived and judged the English, their country and the position of the Ottoman Empire.

The New Area Studies enable a rethinking of world history and a more critical approach to traditional historical writing. An additional factor contributing to the critical reflection on traditional area studies was the contemporary political context. The contributors contend that there is a need for greater supra-regional integration and transboundary as well as cross-border perspectives within historical research. This process should be accompanied by the diversification of research within the traditional area studies disciplines and the adoption of an approach that considers regions from a cross-cultural perspective. The eight case studies presented in this volume exemplify the transottoman perspective in examining the intertwined history of Eastern, South-Eastern Europe and the Near and Middle East.

The early modern Ottoman Empire offers a compelling context for exploring the many-sided and often fluid nature of belonging. Spanning vast territories and encompassing diverse ethnic, religious, and social groups, the Ottoman context reveals how this fundamental human relationship operated across religious, spatial, social, cultural, professional, and emotional dimensions simultaneously. Beyond the theoretically prescribed affiliations of legal classifications and social norms, factors like spatial proximity, individual career choices, and dependencies emerged as crucial markers. The fluidity of identity within this complex, multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multilingual society is a key finding. The contributors demonstrate that while proximity fostered strong bonds of solidarity and shaped social hierarchy, belonging itself was often a fragile and volatile experience for both individuals and groups.