Abstract

This paper aims at analyzing the international (1884 and 1894) and internal (1887) passport (mürür tezkeresi) regulations which were highly indicative of the political elite’s perception of security as well as the emerging infrastructural power tools of the modern state. The study tries to explain the disciplinary modern power mechanisms developed by the Ottoman political elite through the analysis of the administrative practices and regulations on geographical mobilization in everyday life as surveillance techniques. The new legislative and administrative security reforms were also influenced by the anarchist fear in Europe and the anti-anarchist regulations against “propaganda by deed” especially after The International Conferance of Rome for the Social Defense Against Anarchists (November 24 - December 21, 1898). The aim of the study consists in examining the relation between these emergent threat perceptions of the political center and the new regulations on geographical mobilization which can also open a discussion on historical continuity of identifying the threat by state centers referring to today’s bomb attacks and passport practices. In practice these regulations are based on exclusion of some elements of the society.  After 9/11 the new regulations of passports, and other identity documents, visa applications like retina scans, bioptic photographs, using chips in the documents etc. can also be directly attached to the debate on migration, islamophobia and terrorism with the same pattern which was used against identified threats by state elites in the late 19^th century.

Participation

All are welcome and registration is not necessary - just show up. After the lecture, further discussion is possible accompanied by coffee and tea in the AIAS Hall.

Organiser and contact

The guest lecture is organised by:

Ümit Akbey, AIAS Fellow
Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies (AIAS)
Aarhus University

akbey@aias.au.dk
Phone  + 4587156701