You are kindly invited to the seminar titled “Migration Photography as an In-Between Genre, Imperial Subjecthood as a State of Limbo” 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 State of Limbo
Speaker: Hazal Özdemir, University of Michigan
Abstract:
This 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.
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.
Bio:
Hazal Özdemir is a social and legal historian of the late Ottoman Empire, focusing on migration and citizenship. She is the 2024–2026 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 Boğaziçi 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.