Kastrinakis: An Ottoman Port City in Transition: Economy, Society, and Politics in Chania, Crete,

Описание: Petros Kastrinakis, (FORTH Institute for Mediterranean Studies): An Ottoman Port City in Transition: Economy, Society, and Politics in Chania, Crete, During the Long Nineteenth Century.

This presentation explores the history of the port-city of Chania in Crete, during the long nineteenth century, a period marked by profound economic, social, and political change within the late Ottoman Empire. Referring to Chania as a ‘port city’ highlights how central the port was to the life of the city and its people. Drawing on Ottoman archival material—much of it examined systematically for the first time—alongside European consular reports and various other sources, this research investigates the transformation of the port over several decades during a period marked by the transition from sail to steam, and the effects this shift had on trade, shipping, and the political changes that eventually led to the gradual loss of Ottoman control over the island.

Within this context, the study also examines the involvement of Muslims in maritime-related occupations, a situation that challenges the common narrative of Islam’s supposed disengagement from the sea. In addition to these topics, the presentation deals with issues such as public health and the port, illegal trade, and the transformation of urban space. By situating Chania within broader Mediterranean and Ottoman maritime contexts, the presentation aims to illuminate the city’s role as a microcosm of Mediterranean and imperial transition, where local dynamics intersected with global transformations.

(October 22, 2025)

This conference is brought to you by The DEEPMED Seminar: A #history forum for #ocean #science , #strategy , and #environment

To see the calendar for 2025/26 and join the hybdrig meetings, click here:
https://grupo.us.es/deepmed/en/the-de...

The DEEPMED Seminar is organized by ERC-CoG DEEPMED-101002330. Discovering the Deep Mediterranean Environment: A History of Science and Strategy (1860–2020). Universidad de Sevilla.

Here is the calendar for 2025/26. All talks are 12pmCET.

September 17th: Stephen Hall, (Seabed 2030): Towards the First Detailed
Global Map of the Ocean Floor: Mapping the Mediterranean from the Earliest
Days to the Present.

October 22nd: Petros Kastrinakis, (FORTH Institute for Mediterranean Studies): An Ottoman Port City in Transition: Economy, Society, and Politics in Chania, Crete, During the Long Nineteenth Century.

November 19th: Emiliano Ramieri, (CNR-ISMAR): Challenges and Opportunities for Maritime Spatial Planning in the Mediterranean Sea.

December 17th: Lucia Carminati, (University of Oslo): A Port Against Nature. Water, Land, and the Right to the City in Nineteenth-Century Port Said.

January 21st: Elis Jones, (Technical University of Munich): Ocean health and ocean metabolism: dangers and opportunities.

February 18th: Peder Roberts, (University of Oslo): What was the point of the
Bathyscaphe Trieste?

March 18th: Luoise Merquiol,(Aix-Marseille University): Art as an aquatic archive: Reconstructing Italy’s socio-biodiversity with paintings.

April 22nd: Arthur Asseraf, (University of Cambridge): Wavy Sovereignty: Radio and the Remaking of Borders in the 20th Century Strait of Gibraltar.

May 13th: Pablo Lima Hernandez, (Universidad de Sevilla-DEEPMED): From the International Biological Programme to the Mediterranean Action Plan: a history of marine systems ecology in the Mediterranean Sea.

June 17th: Aymen Chrigui,(Universidad de Sevilla-DEEPMED): Charting the Depths: Spatial and Historical Perspectives on Mediterranean Bathymetric Research.


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#Mediterranean 🌊
#crete 🚢
#chania 🌍
#Science 📚
#Geopolitics 🐠

Production: Ada Ferraresi