Could've Been a Contender: The Making and Breaking of "China" in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

Growing interest in global historical archaeology is often focused on commodities exchange, especially between “the west and the rest.” However, ceramics production and consumption in the Ottoman Empire during the fourteenth through twentieth centuries was not only between the Ottomans and the west, but also the Far East. Chinese porcelains served as inspiration for the production of many Ottoman ceramics, especially during the Empire's height in the sixteenth century. Although with less success, Ottoman ceramics “contended” for a place within local and global markets. This paper will examine the production and consumption of Ottoman ceramics as part of this empire's struggle to achieve and maintain power relationships globally, as well as within its own dominions.