Can Nacar

By the early twentieth century, consumers around the world had developed a taste for Ottoman-grown tobacco. Employing thousands of workers, the Ottoman tobacco industry flourished in the decades between the 1870s to the First Balkan War—and it became the locus of many of the most active labor struggles across the empire. This study delves into the lives of these workers and their fight for better working conditions. Full of insight into the changing relations of power between capital and labor in the Ottoman Empire and the role played by state actors in these relations, the book also draws on a rich array of primary sources to foreground the voices of tobacco workers themselves.

This study examines different approaches taken in the late Ottoman Empire to deal with the risks and dangers posed by railroads. Like its counterparts in Europe and the United States, the Ottoman state actively sought to protect individuals against railroad risks. For this purpose, it mandated the use of certain devices meant to facilitate the safe flow of railroad traffic and introduced measures that aimed to discipline railroaders and pedestrians into behaving appropriately. However, the state was not the only actor that struggled to address railroad risks. Railroad companies, primarily to advance their economic interests, incorporated technologies that considerably reduced the risk of collisions. Yet economic concerns also sometimes hampered investments in railroad safety. For instance, the manner in which trespassing cases were handled by accident investigation committees and courts allowed the companies to avoid their obligations with respect to fencing around railroad tracks. As a result, it was easy for pedestrians to use tracks near their homes and workplaces as pathways. Finally, the article also shows that in performing their duties, trainmen enjoyed considerable freedom from control by railroad managers. This freedom was further reinforced by the shortage of experienced and skilled labor in the Ottoman railroad industry.

Öz 19. yüzyılın ortasında küçük bir köy olan Mersin, yaklaşık elli yıl içerisinde Doğu Akdeniz'in önemli bir liman kenti haline geldi. 20. yüzyılın başına gelindiğinde kentin nüfusu 15,000'e ulaşmış, ticaret hacmi katlanarak artmış ve ulaşım altyapısı hayli gelişmişti. Mersin bir yandan bu gelişmelerin etkisi ile hızla zenginleşirken, öte yandan zenginliğin nasıl paylaşılacağına dair farklı toplumsal gruplar arasında ciddi anlaşmazlıklara sahne olmaya başladı. Bu çalışma kentteki iskeleler ile açıkta demirlemiş gemiler arasında nakliyat işi yapan istimbot ve mavna şirketlerinin sahipleri, onların çalışanları ve esnaflar arasında 1905 yılı yazında patlak veren böyle bir anlaşmazlığı incelemektedir. Osmanlı hükümetinin söz konusu anlaşmazlık hakkında hazırladığı detaylı soruşturma dosyasına dayanarak, ekonomik pastadan daha fazla pay kapma isteğinin Mersin'deki farklı toplumsal sınıflardan aktörler arasında ne tür çatışma ve ittifaklara zemin hazırladığı hakkında ipuçları sunmaktadır. Abstract Mersin was a small village in the mid-19 th century. However, within about fifty years, it became an important Eastern Mediterranean port city. By the early 20 th century, its population had reached 15,000, volume of trade had multiplied, and transportation infrastructure had been improved. As an outcome these developments, wealth began to pour in Mersin. However, at the same time, the city began to witness disputes over the distribution of wealth. This study examines one such dispute that erupted in the summer of 1905 and involved the owners of boat companies, their workers, and artisans who were ferrying cargoes between the piers and ships anchored offshore. It * Yrd. Doç. Dr., Koç Üniversitesi İnsani Bilimler ve Edebiyat Fakültesi Tarih Bölümü, 34450, Sarıyer – İstanbul / Türkiye, cnacar@ku.edu.tr. Çalışmanın farklı aşamalarındaki eleştiri ve önerileri için Yener Bayar'a ve Cihannüma: Tarih ve Coğrafya Araştırmaları Dergisi'nin hakem ve editörlerine teşekkür ederim.