The Abdul Hamid Era and Beyond: Massacres and Reform, Rupture and Continuity conference

Abdul Hamid II Era and Beyond Conference Program

Opening Panel: From Abdul Hamid II to the Genocide: Continuity and Rupture

Speakers: Ronald Suny (William H. Sewell, Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan and Emeritus Professor of Political Science and History at the University of Chicago) and Stephan Astourian (Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley

26 October 2018 | 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.| Higgins Lounge
Dana Commons

Conference: The Abdul Hamid Era and Beyond: Massacres and Reform, Rupture and Continuity

The year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, one of the most polarizing figures in Ottoman history. This conference will examine key aspects of the Abdul Hamid period (1876-1909) and its aftermath by taking a closer look at policies toward Christians and Armenians in particular and the significant and large-scale massacres committed against them, the impact of reforms (both those initiated by Abdul Hamid and those attempted to be imposed by the Great Powers) on the policies towards these same groups, and the continuities or discontinuities with the catastrophic final years of the Ottoman Empire that saw the almost total annihilation of the Armenians and other Christians through genocide and other forms of mass violence.

Listen to audio of opening panel discussion

Event poster