Issue 5 (2019) Ottoman Print Culture (original) (raw)

This article critiques the prevailing narrative about the late adoption of printing technology in the Ottoman Empire, highlighting the early use of print among minority communities, specifically the Judaeo-Spanish and Armenian populations. It examines the informal print culture among non-Muslim communities and contrasts their earlier engagement with print against the delayed adoption by the Muslim majority, driven by factors such as oral traditions and selectivity in technology uptake. The article also introduces four contributions reflecting different aspects of Ottoman book culture, including the symbolism of books in society, ordinary reading experiences, commercial aspects of the book market, and the interplay between print culture and political censorship.