You are kindly invited to the seminar titled \u201cMigration Photography as an In-Between Genre, Imperial Subjecthood as a State of Limbo\u201d organized by the Department of History.<\/p>\n
Date: 11 December 2025, Thursday
\nTime: 16.30
\nVenue: A-130 FEASS Seminar Room<\/p>\n
Title: Migration Photography as an In-Between Genre, Imperial Subjecthood as a State of Limbo<\/p>\n
Speaker: Hazal \u00d6zdemir, University of Michigan<\/p>\n
Abstract:
\nThis talk examines how the Ottoman state used photography and legal measures in the context of Armenian migration to the United States. An 1896 decree allowed Armenians to emigrate only if they renounced Ottoman subjecthood, sold their property, and submitted identity photographs. This regulation transformed temporary labor migration into permanent resettlement.<\/p>\n
The talk places this decree within late nineteenth century subjecthood reforms, especially the 1869 Ottoman Law of Nationality. It also shows how personal images, such as family snapshots and studio portraits, gained official functions as migration photographs. By looking at documentation and erasure at the same time, the talk highlights the complex relationship between state photography and imperial subjecthood.<\/p>\n
Bio:
\nHazal \u00d6zdemir is a social and legal historian of the late Ottoman Empire, focusing on migration and citizenship. She is the 2024\u20132026 Manoogian Postdoctoral Fellow in Armenian History at the University of Michigan. She earned her Ph.D. in History from Northwestern University in 2024, holds a B.A. in History from Bo\u011fazi\u00e7i University, and an M.A. in History of Art with Photography from Birkbeck, University of London. Her research has been supported by ARIT, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, SALT Research, the Society for Armenian Studies, and NAASR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You are kindly invited to the seminar titled \u201cMigration Photography as an In-Between Genre, Imperial Subjecthood as a State of Limbo\u201d organized by the Department of History. Date: 11 December 2025, Thursday Time: 16.30 Venue: A-130 FEASS Seminar Room Title: Migration Photography as an In-Between Genre, Imperial Subjecthood as a [\u2026] <\/p>\n