Prof. Nurcan Abacı, Analysis of Power Networks Between Core and Periphery in the Ottoman Empire - theme for round table discussion

Summary

We can say that the way we enter our fields determines the general quality of our further studies. I ask students coming to the Ottoman language course organized every year in Cunda about how they entered the field. Most of the time, they tell interesting stories. Some wonder about the past of their great grandmother. Others are impressed by a book they see in a library. Still, others enter Ottoman-Turkish studies as a result of an ongoing love story and this determines more or less the way they conduct their investigations. Well, what about those who are “in” the field. We can expect less exciting stories. I’m sure you all have stories which are interesting in themselves. The point I would like to come to is that: After the way you enter the field, the reason(s) why you enter the field and your academic environment determine more or less what you will curious about. There is no problem here, either. You master the terminology more or less and try to contribute to the field by using resources which you are accustomed to.

The subject I’m going to present is a bit out of the line which I have just summarized. Although I do not know exactly how, I somehow found the courage to get out of the field. Please note that I’m saying this not proudly but with some concern. After all, (at least “Eastern stories”) end up with “the one who strays from the herd is captured by a wolf”. Anyway, the matter is related to social network analysis and its application to ottoman turk studies.

The question we should ask before the SNA method is “Well, what is a social network? Also considering the danger of overgeneralization, I think the first thing that we should say is that it is a structure. Basically, it has two parts. 1-Actors, 2- Relationships. In short, relations should hold actors together. Actors may not only be individuals but they may also be institutions, families, religious sects, etc. Actors make up social networks by exchanging one or more resources with one another. Resources may be in the form of information, goods, services, and social or economic aid. Such a resource exchange is described as a social network relationship. In this relationship, individuals have ties. Ties can take different forms ranging from weak to strong. This depends on such variables as the type and number of resources which one exchanges with others and the frequency of exchange. Additionally, social ties can be made up of multiple relationships. For example, in a doctor-patient relationship, the doctor and patient can be friends. Such ties are called multiplex ties. In the round table discussion, I would like to have critics and contributions of those who attend about previously summarized approach.