| ID | 133299 |
| Title Proper | Into the dark |
| Other Title Information | power, light, and nocturnal life in 18th-century Istanbul |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Wishnitzer, Avner |
| Publication | 2014. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article analyzes different traditions of nocturnal conviviality in 18th-century Istanbul and demonstrates their importance for social, political, and cultural life. The main argument is that the palace used the night to demonstrate its power in spectacles of light and to cultivate personal relations within the elite, both of which were crucial for a patrimonial government based on face-to-face interaction. Yet, it was exactly the reliance on such interaction that marked the limits of the palace's hold of the night. With the neighborhood gaze blinded by darkness, communal policing lost much of its effectiveness, leaving nocturnal social life largely concealed from the eyes of the authorities. Nighttime therefore offered opportunities for illicit modes of socialization and, at times, for subversive political action. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol.46, No.3; Aug.2014: p.513-531 |
| Journal Source | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol.46, No.3; Aug.2014: p.513-531 |
| Key Words | Nocturnal Life ; Dark Power ; Istanbul ; Turkey ; Social Life ; Political Life ; Cultural Life ; Political Action ; Communal Policing |