Crimes of Honor, Drunken Brawls and Murder _{Violence in Istanbul Under Abdülhamid II}

Kabadayıs and külhanbeys. Drunken brawls. Muggings and robberies. Although most people may never have been touched by it, common criminal violence was an everyday occurrence in Istanbul in the late 19th century. Much of it derived from specific subcultures, such as the kabadayıs and külhanbeys, or various refugee and immigrant communities, each with its own standards of acceptable interpersonal violence. Other violence had its sources in more universal motives, like greed or rage. This was also a time of political and social changes, when the state was expanding its policing activities and society was becoming less and less accepting of acts of violence. Drawing on archival documents, contemporary news coverage, and popular literature, this book provides a rare scholarly overview of the sources and the nature of violence in the Ottoman capital during the reign of Abdülhamid II.