Prisons in the late Ottoman Empire : microcosms of modernity

"The Western world stereotypically associates Ottoman or 'Turkish' prisons with images of torture, narcotics and brutal sexual behaviour. Now, Kent F. Schull argues that these prisons were actually a site of immense reform and contestation during the 19th century. Schull shows that prisons were key components for Ottoman nation-state construction and acted as 'microcosms of modernity' for broader imperial transformation. It was within the walls of these prisons that many of the pressing questions of Ottoman modernity were worked out. By juxtaposing them with the reality of prison life, Schull investigates how state-mandated reforms affected the lives of local prison officials and inmates. He shows how these individuals actively conformed to, contested and manipulated new penal policies and practices for their own benefit."--Publisher's websiteContrary to the stereotypical images of torture, narcotics and brutal sexual abuse traditionally associated with Ottoman or 'Turkish' prisons, Kent Schull argues that, during the Second Constitutional Period (1908-1918), they played a crucial role in attempts to transform the empireOttoman criminal justice and the transformation of Islamic criminal law and punishment in the age of modernity, 1839-1922 -- Prison reform in the late Ottoman Empire : the state's perspectives -- Counting the incarcerated : knowledge, power and the prison population -- The spatialisation of incarceration : reforms, response and the reality of prison life -- Disciplining the disciplinarians : combating corruption and abuse through the professionalisation of the prison cadre -- Creating juvenile delinquents : redefining childhood in the late Ottoman EmpireKent F. SchullIncludes bibliographical references (pages 201-216) and inde