Osmanlı-İran Sınırında Toplum ve Siyaset: Caf Aşireti ve Nasturî Cemaati (1839-1914)

Abstract

The 19th century was a compulsory era of reform for the Ottoman Empire. The paradigm shift that it underwent to protect its existence against Westerner powers had an impact on all layers of the state and society. The main objective of the Ottoman Empire was to shorten the distance between society and itself in its favor. So much so that the border regions previously managed with intermediary personalites and institutions were also scope fort his aim. Therefore, the Christian Nestorian sect and the Muslim / Kurdish Jaf tribe living on the Ottoman-Iranian border were the new interlocutors of the state in the new order. In this dissertation, Ottoman modernization and developments in the world are examined comparatively to the changing socio-political structure of the two groups on the border. In this context, the dissertation is shaped around two purposes. The first is to reveal the differences between the theoretical framework of Ottoman modernization and its practicality in the border region. The presence of Western powers and Iran in the region and the socio-political attitudes of local powers were important factors in the emergence of such a result. The second aim is to emphasize that the Jaf tribe and the Nestorians living in the border region are effective active actors that direct the relationship rather than passive practitioners in their relations with the upper authorities. At this stage, the role of the border phenomenon in the socio-political decisions and preferences of both states and both communities is also tried to be revealed.