A Literature Review: The Relationship Between the Ottoman Empire and Tribes in the XIX. Century

Abstract

There is extensive literature on the relationship between the Ottoman central government and tribes in the XIX. century Ottoman Empire. In this article, I aim to make a summary of significant studies in the literature. Tribal groups are taken to hand in different roles within their relationship with the Ottoman central government. I will examine selected works under three headings. In the first group of these studies, tribes are focused on as the partners of the central Ottoman government. A significant group of scholars has addressed the issue of tribes in the second half of the XIX. century under the partnership and negotiation argument. In these studies, tribes have been taken to hand as active agents that were in the mutual power relations with the Ottoman central government. Some scholars have given importance to the role of tribes in the policy of Abdulhamid II which aim to unify all other subjects of the empire against the separatist movements. Secondly, I will focus on the studies that examine the tribal groups as the significant actors of the Hamidian era. Lastly, I will reveal the studies that consider the tribes to the part of identity politics in the Ottoman Empire. It will be seen that tribes are addressed as a part of complex mutual relations that formed ethnic identities in the late 19th century. Through the studies in the literature, this paper aims to provide an analysis of the relationship between the Ottoman central government and tribes in the 19th century.