Economy and Society on Both Shores of the Aegean: "Difference and Fusion"

The series of monthly seminars, Economy and Society on Both Shores of the Aegean, organized by the Ottoman Bank Museum in collaboration with Alpha Bank and the History Department of Boğazici University, resumes after a two-month break with the presentation of historian Meropi Anastassiadou, on Friday, September 29, at 5:00 p.m. In her lecture entitled, "Greek Orthodox Households in Istanbul (19th and 20th centuries): Social and Demographic Trends," Anastassiadou assesses the lifestyle of the Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul, in the light of 19th and 20th century population registers and lists of parish members.

Focusing on Beyoglu, a district where most of the wealthy Greek immigrant population settled, Anastassiadou discusses the changes that occurred in the regional and rural household patterns of Greek family structures as they adapted to their new urban habitat. "From the 1850's onwards, thousands of immigrants settled in Beyoglu," she explains. "Inevitably, the process of integration into the city affected their local traditions, customs and family perceptions. Population registers from the beginning of the 20th century allow us to outline the main characteristics of the Istanbul Greek Orthodox household and, therefore, to evaluate the endurance of local models as well as the introduction of new types of family ties."

The monthly seminar series, Economy and Society on Both Shores of the Aegean, focuses on the Greek Orthodox populations of the late Ottoman and early Republican periods. Seminar speakers provide comprehensive information on the subject and display special awareness of the delicate historical context. Admission to the seminars is free. Our next guest speaker will be Assist. Prof. İpek Yosmaoğlu, from the History Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a presentation entitled, "Marching on an Empty Stomach: Pratical Aspects of Gendarmerie Reform in Ottoman Macedonia," scheduled for Friday, October 20.

Economy and Society on both Shores of the Aegean
Greek Orthodox Households in Istanbul (19th and 20th centuries):
Social and Demographic Trends Dr. Meropi Anastassiadou

Dr. Meropi Anastassiadou After having studied law in Thessalonica and history in Paris, Meropi Anastassiadou obtained her Ph.D. from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, Paris) with a thesis on urban and social change in 19th century Ottoman Salonica. Aside from her book Salonique 1830-1912. Une ville Ottomane à l'âge des réformes; [Tanzimat Çagında bir Osmanlı Şehri: Selanik (1830-1912)], she has published a number of articles and edited collective volumes on various topics concerning Eastern Mediterranean urban societies during the 19th and 20th centuries. She spent four years in Istanbul before integrating the group," Etudes Turques et Ottomanes" in Paris, in 2003. Anastassiadou's current interests focus on the relation between cultural heritage and collective identities in Greece and in Turkey. A full research member of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) since 1997, she currently teaches at the EHESS (Paris) and at the University of Strasbourg.

Economy and Society on both Shores of the Aegean Greek Orthodox Households in Istanbul (19th and 20th centuries): Social and Demographic Trends Dr. Meropi Anastassiadou Friday, September 29, 2006 5:00 p.m. Free admission The Ottoman Bank Museum Bankalar (Voyvoda) Caddesi 35/37 (0212) 334 22 70