Corruption in the Ottoman Polity: Empirical Insights, Conceptual Reflections

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Corruption in the Ottoman Polity

Empirical Insights, Conceptual Reflections

Edited by: Boğaç A. Ergene and Cengiz Kırlı

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2026

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About this book

Presents the first collective study to examine diverse approaches to corruption in the Ottoman polity

Engages with conceptual and empirical questions related to the topic
Features social, political, economic, legal and discursive approaches to the study of corruption
Draws on a wide variety of primary sources
Contains essays focused on both the early modern and modern eras
Engages with recent scholarship on corruption in non-Ottoman contexts

This book features essays that explore corruption and its manifestations in the Ottoman Empire through social, political, economic, legal and discursive approaches. Its main goal is to contextualise the notion and investigate its meanings, conceptual parallels and associated behaviour via a nuanced historical framework. Combining theoretical analysis with detailed case studies, the volume also examines various corruption-related crimes and how they were regulated in the Ottoman polity across the early modern and modern periods. Bringing together established and emerging Ottoman scholars, the collection advances the field by considering contrasting perspectives on the topic. The book’s scope extends beyond the Ottoman Empire to include comparative perspectives from other historical settings, such as Mamluk Egypt and Qing China, offering readers a broader understanding of how different polities defined and confronted corruption.

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Frontmatter
i

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Contents
v

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List of Figures and Tables
vii

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Acknowledgements
viii

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Note on Transliteration
ix

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Notes on Contributors
x

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Introduction
1
Boğaç A. Ergene and Cengiz Kırlı

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Part I Historiographical and Methodological Considerations
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1 Corruption in Modern Ottoman Historiography
17
Boğaç A. Ergene

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2. Writing History Backwards and Forwards: Thoughts on the Notion of ‘Ottoman Corruption’
37
Avi Rubin and Iris Agmon

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Part II Corruption in the Early Modern Era
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3 On Bribery, Law and Confiscation: Revisiting the Case of Kira, the Jew
65
Yavuz Aykan

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4 Between Law, Custom and Abuse: Ottoman Judges’ Collection of Fees during the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries
83
Jun Akiba

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5 ‘Corruption’ and the Misuse of Waqf Funds
103
Suraiya Faroqhi

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6 Valued but not Marketed: Revisiting the ‘Sale of Public Offices’ in the Ottoman Empire
126
Yasin Arslantaş

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Part III Corruption in the Tanzimat Era and Afterwards
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7 Codification Movements and Problematisation of Corruption in Nineteenth-century Ottoman Governance
147
M. Safa Saraçoğlu

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8 Invention of Corruption: The 1840 Penal Code, Power and Bureaucracy*
171
Cengiz Kırlı

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9 Corruption and Construction: The Stained History of the Building Council
210
Eda Güçlü

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10 ‘The Work of Inspection Cannot be Freed of Confusions and Amalgamations’: Purity, Danger and the Practice of Late Ottoman Statecraft
233
Marc Aymes

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Part IV Comparative Reflections
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11 Reconsidering Administrative Networks of Taxation, Legal Execution and Bribery from the Mamluk to the Ottoman Period: A Comparative Historical Perspective
257
Toru Miura

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12 Ottoman Corruption: The View from Qing China
274
Elif Akcetin

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13 Afterword: The Ottomans in European and Other Contexts
289
Joanna Innes

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Combined Bibliography
305

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Index
335

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Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

October 31, 2025

eBook ISBN:

9781399552981

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

Main content:

352

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781399552981

eBook ISBN: 9781399552981

Keywords for this book

Ottoman Empire; Ottoman history; Corruption; bribery; justice; maladministration; early modern history; modern history; Mamluk Egypt; Qing China; Ottoman society; public office

Audience(s) for this book

For universities and colleges of further and higher education

Corruption in the Ottoman Polity

Overview

About this book

Topics

Table of contents

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Acknowledgements

Note on Transliteration

Notes on Contributors

Introduction

1 Corruption in Modern Ottoman Historiography

2. Writing History Backwards and Forwards: Thoughts on the Notion of ‘Ottoman Corruption’

3 On Bribery, Law and Confiscation: Revisiting the Case of Kira, the Jew

4 Between Law, Custom and Abuse: Ottoman Judges’ Collection of Fees during the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries

5 ‘Corruption’ and the Misuse of Waqf Funds

6 Valued but not Marketed: Revisiting the ‘Sale of Public Offices’ in the Ottoman Empire

7 Codification Movements and Problematisation of Corruption in Nineteenth-century Ottoman Governance

8 Invention of Corruption: The 1840 Penal Code, Power and Bureaucracy*

9 Corruption and Construction: The Stained History of the Building Council

10 ‘The Work of Inspection Cannot be Freed of Confusions and Amalgamations’: Purity, Danger and the Practice of Late Ottoman Statecraft

11 Reconsidering Administrative Networks of Taxation, Legal Execution and Bribery from the Mamluk to the Ottoman Period: A Comparative Historical Perspective

12 Ottoman Corruption: The View from Qing China

13 Afterword: The Ottomans in European and Other Contexts

Combined Bibliography

Index

Bibliographic data