Oakton lecture spotlights Jews residing in the Ottoman Empire

Hakan T. Karateke, cultural historian of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey, will present "New Approaches to Ottoman Jewry," from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, May 3, at Oakton's Skokie campus, 7701 N. Lincoln Ave. in Room A145-152. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The talk will focus on Jews living within the Ottoman Empire and will bring attention to some pitfalls of using the accounts written by the Ottoman Jews about their experiences in the Ottoman Empire. Modern scholars who use these historical accounts may have been misled by the overwhelming feelings of gratitude of the Ottoman Jews toward the Ottoman policy. In support of his argument, Karateke will present instances from Ottoman sources to reconstruct some attitudes about Jews living in the Ottoman Empire.

Professor of Ottoman and Turkish Culture, Language and Literature at the University of Chicago, Karateke also serves as the director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and is a member of the Center for Jewish Studies. For more information, contact jewishstudies@oakton.edu.