The Tanzimat Roots of the Armenian Question in the Western Anatolian Countryside

Abstract

In late Ottoman historiography, the Armenian question is closely associated with the Eastern provinces and the imperial capital, where dramatic events took place during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. The aim of this article is to provide a complementary comparative historical perspective by analyzing the Tanzimat roots of the Armenian question from the viewpoint of the Western Anatolian countryside. I explore how the political economy relates to political emancipation and the hierarchies of imperial belonging. I argue that the Armenian question cannot be fully understood without addressing the political and economic positions of the Sunni Muslims in the late Ottoman Empire. The specific geographical focus of this study is the countryside of the İzmit-Bursa region, where a significant Armenian population used to be concentrated.