Connections and Questions
to Consider
Chapter
Chapters 1 and 6 explore the significance of Sufis in medieval Anatolia. Chapter
1 also combines well with chapter 7, as both examine the role of religious elites in
the formation of Ottoman identity. Chapter 1 also fits with chapters 20, 21, and 22,
which explore the connections between political identity and allegiance.
- How egalitarian or hierarchical was late medieval Anatolian society?
- Which assumptions do the findings of this chapter challenge?
Chapter
Chapters 1 and 2 explore the nature of medieval Anatolia. Chapters 2, 8, and 9 all
examine the influence of frontiers on the identity of places and people. Chapter 2
also connects well with chapters 10, 13, 15, 16, 20, 21, and 22, which analyze migra-
tion of individuals or groups.
- In contrast to modern conceptualizations of frontier as a barrier, is it pos-
sible to consider the Anatolian frontier zones as a zone of passage and co-
existence that could accommodate different cultural, religious, and ethnic
elements without precluding violence between Muslim and Christian soci-
eties? - How did the cultural character of the frontier society affect the transition in
the meaning of “Rum” and “Rumi”?
Chapter
Chapter 3, together with chapters 4 and 5, examines the reign of Mehmed II,
especially in relation to the different ethnic and religious groups that were af-
fected by his imperial vision. Chapter 3 also fits well with chapters 4, 13, 14, 18, 20,
21, and 22, which all explore the experiences of religious minorities within the
Ottoman Empire.
- What was the disposition of the Genoese families in Pera vis-à-vis the
Byzantines and the Ottomans in the fifteenth century, especially during the
conquest of Constantinople?