Immorality, misbehavior and transgression: the ‘Unorthodox’ Greeks of Pera and Galata in the late Ottoman Empire

Abstract

The intensive efforts of the Ottoman Greek leaders to introduce schools, churches and societies in Istanbul, especially in the second half of the nineteenth century, bear the signs of a move towards a more tight-knit community life. With changing standards and ideologies, the envisaged inclusiveness of the community was to adhere to a series of criteria other than religion itself, including education, employment, health and morality. Those who had ‘ambiguous’ or ‘unconventional’ occupations did not fit into the picture and neither did those who had the potential to cast a stain on the community’s reputation. A very abundant arena in such ‘unorthodox’ characters happens to be the entertainment sector (prostitutes, brothel keepers, dancers, singer/actresses) in which we see a noteworthy Greek presence in Pera and Galata. Others among the ‘unorthodox’ Greeks were those who were poorly regarded due to certain characteristics and habits (bullies, drunkards, gamblers), those who were unemployed or who had dual occupations, one of which tended to be illegal. In the light of Ottoman state documents, newspapers, travelogues, recollections, memoirs and novels as well as scholarly publications, this thesis aims to show the ways in which these individuals, who transgressed moral, social and – to a certain extent – legal limits, including those who were prone to be seen as ‘marginal’ or ‘on the edge of the society’ en masse, diverged from each other with respect to different perspectives, that of the state, the community and the society. It turns out that ‘improperness’ did not necessarily go hand in hand with marginalization while the ‘improper’ were not limited to a single business sector or an ethno-religious group.