CFP: Turkish Sea Trading (4 & 5 May, Istanbul)

Papers are being sought for the International IX Symposium on History of Turkish Sea Trading, to be held at Istanbul University on 4 & 5 May 2017.

One of the crucial aspects of Ottoman naval history, which has recently received the attention it deserves, is sea trading. Studies of sea trading are closely related to subfields of history such as financial, political, social and cultural history as well as judiciary history. As a result, the history of sea trading has become a prominent and dynamic subfield of history. In recent years, studies dealing with sea trading have increased considerably. The Symposium of Turkish Sea Trading History, which has been held annually since 2009, has had an eminent impact on this surge of attention and scholarship, and has provided space for new studies to be presented as well as an environment for fruitful debate. The 9th Symposium of Turkish Sea Trading History, which is to be held by Istanbul University on May 4-5, 2017, will include international participants. The purpose of the 9th Symposium of Turkish Sea Trading is to provide a platform for academic debate on the topic of sea trading history. The symposium also aims to open the following issues to academic discussion:  (i) how sea trading developed in areas with a Turkish presence, (ii) trading activities between the aforementioned areas and internationally, and (iii) the role of the exchange of goods in this history. The symposium aims to contribute to the field in terms of methodology with the help of expert discussions on the problems of methodology and sources in sea trading studies. The symposium’s main theme is Istanbul as a center of sea trading. Papers which evaluate the position of Istanbul, one of the most important ports of the Mediterranean and the capital of the Ottoman Empire, from fields such as sociology, law, archeology, finance and history, will enable the fruitful exchange of information and the procurement of academic conclusions with the guidance and aid of an interdisciplinary perspective. The papers complying with the symposium topics will be accepted although they are out of the main theme. The due date for the abstracts is January 22, 2017. The accepted papers will be announced on February 6, 2017.

The committee promotes panels with a specific scope as well as individual presentations. Thematic panels should consist of three presentations. Individual abstracts should not exceed 250 words. Proposals for panels should be in the form of a 300- word abstract explaining the general topic of the panel and how the presenters will contribute to the panel; individual presenters within the panel should submit a 250-word abstract with the proposal. Suggestions for panels should be made by the chair of the panel that will be responsible for its organization. Each individual presentation should not exceed 20 minutes.

All abstracts should include the following information:
(i) the aim of the presentation,
(ii) its methodology,
(iii) its sources, and (
iv) its academic contribution to the field.
The symposium will be held in both Turkish and English, and will be free of charge. The expenditure of transportation and accommodation will be met by the participants.

For the abstract submission: http://tdtt2017.istanbul.edu.tr/en/?page_id=6612 (English), http://tdtt2017.istanbul.edu.tr/?page_id=6391 (Turkish)

For main theme, other topics and more information: http://tdtt2017.istanbul.edu.tr/en/
Contact:  Assist. Prof. Dr. M. Sait Türkhan: tdtt2017@istanbul.edu.tr

Source: H-Mediterranean