The Uses of Oppression

The Uses of Oppression follows the development of the Ottoman Greek press in the nineteenth century. It employs the vivid reflections of editors, correspondents, advertisers, commentators, and readers to view the everyday lives of a generation caught up in radical social and political changes, including the period of reforms known as Tanzimat.

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During the middle decades of the nineteenth century, a generation of Ottoman Greeks was caught up in radical social and political changes, including the period of reforms known as Tanzimat. The Ottoman Greek press was both a product and an agent of these changes. The Uses of Oppression follows the development of the Ottoman Greek press from its birth in 1830 until 1862, employing the vivid reflections of its editors, correspondents, advertisers, commentators, and readers as a lens through which to view the everyday lives of this generation of Ottoman Greeks—their social aspirations, their reactions to political events, their reception of Western-style norms, and other contemporary issues.