International Workshop by BAU and ACG, Istanbul: Constantinople/Istanbul: One Capital, Two Empires

BAHCESEHIR UNIVERSITY – THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE

“CULTURE OF PEACE” SERIES I

CONSTANTINOPLE/ISTANBUL: ONE CAPITAL, TWO EMPIRES

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

Organizers

Feryal Tansug, Bahcesehir University

Alicia Simpson, The American College of Greece

This event marks the inaugural meeting of the “Culture of Peace” series, co-organized by Bahçeşehir University (Istanbul) and The American College of Greece (Athens). The series seeks to foster collaboration between Turkish and Greek scholars and students working in related fields, while more broadly cultivating a culture of peace and cooperation between Greece and Türkiye. Furthermore, by critically engaging with conventional (hi)stories of the region, it aims to challenge entrenched dichotomies, highlight historical parallels, and interrogate transformations across time. The multilayered and richly complex history of Constantinople/Istanbul—capital of both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires—offers an especially pertinent topic of study. As a city that has long stood at the crossroads of civilizations, Constantinople/Istanbul embodies not only the tensions but also the deep interconnections that have shaped the region. Adopting a comparative urban studies approach that brings together historical, literary, and material perspectives, the workshop will explore patterns of continuity and transformation in the city’s urban development, social dynamics, and cultural life.

Workshop Program

Friday, October 17

10:00-10:15 Welcome addresses

Helena Maragou, Dean of the Frances Rich School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Deree – The American College of Greece

10:15-10:30 Introductory remarks

Alicia Simpson - The American College of Greece, & Feryal Tansug - Bahçeşehir University

10-30-11:20 Session I: The City in Literature

Haris Theodorelis-Rigas, Koç University

“A Greek Historian like no Other”: The Long-Distance Helleno-Ottomanism of Skralatos Byzantios

Veysel Öztürk, Bogazici University

From Konstantiniyye to Istanbul: The Ideological Gaze and the Erasure of Urban Plurality in Yahya Kemal’s Poetry

11:20-11:40 Coffee Break

11:40-13:00 Session II: Peoples and Cultures

Kutlu Akalın, Medeniyet University

“The Others (?)” in Late Antique Constantinople

Siren Çelik, Marmara University

“The Others” in Late Byzantine Constantinople (14th-15th centuries)

Ilay Romain Örs, The American College of Greece

Rum Polites: The Greek Orthodox Community of Istanbul

13:00 -14:00 Lunch break

14:00-14:50 Session III: Health and Healing in the City

Koray Durak, Bogazici University

Healing in the City: Hospitals, Shrines and beyond

İsmail Yaşayanlar, Düzce University

Is Clear Water Clean Water? The Multi-Faceted Use of Byzantine Cisterns in Fin-de-Siècle Istanbul

14:50-15:10 Coffee Break

15:10-16:00 Session IV: Precious Items, Diplomatic Gifts

Nicollette Trahoulia, The American College of Greece

Silk fabrics in Byzantine Diplomacy

Miyuki Girardelli, Istanbul Technical University

Chinese and Japanese Porcelain and Objects at the Ottoman Court

16:00-16:30 Concluding Remarks - Discussion

Alicia Simpson, The American College of Greece & Feryal Tansug, Bahçeşehir University

Saturday, October 18

10:00-14:00 Site Visit