Griechisch, Osmanisch, Modern - Spätosmanische Identitäten

This study contributes to the understanding of Ottoman-Greek identity by exploring the discourse that the Greek Philological Society in Constantinople has published on this topic in its journal. As capital of the Ottoman Empire, the city of Constantinople epitomized the transformations both Ottoman state and society experienced in the 19th century. The specific spatial and temporal position of the Society’s activities, as reflected in its journal, can be regarded as an answer to those very transformations and thus as an expression of the underlying sense of identity. Equal emphasis is placed on the recording of the relevant information and on its coherent interpretation. In order to avoid applying too narrow a view by placing the Society exclusively in an orthodox or Greek context, the concept of modernity as a shared experience on an international scale and within the Ottoman Empire is established as the principal frame of reference.