Nation-Making and the Language of Colonialism: Voices from Ottoman Van in Armenian Print Media and Handwritten Petitions (1820s to 1870s) by Dzovinar Derderian A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Near Eastern Studies) in the University of Michigan 2019 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Kathryn Babayan, co-chair Professor Gottfried Hagen, co-chair Professor Fatma Müge Göçek Visiting Professor Gerard Libaridian Professor Ronald Grigor Suny Associate Professor Melanie Schulze Tanielian Dzovinar Derderian [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5605-4874 ©Dzovinar Derderian 2019 All rights reserved To yaya ii Acknowledgement Over the years of the making of this dissertation I have been privileged to receive the support of many professors, friends, colleagues and family members. It has been a long and arduous journey, but many individuals have brightened my years of graduate work and made this dissertation possible. I am grateful for the support that everyone has shown. First and foremost, I must thank my two co-chairs, who in their very different ways have followed through and contributed to my dissertation project from inception to completion. Kathryn Babayan generously agreed to work with me at a time of uncertainty and very quickly transformed my view of the discipline of history as well as my readings of historical sources. Her unique approach to the craft of history has in many ways shaped the parameters of this dissertation. She has taught me to analyze my historical sources with sensitivity and attention as well as mentored me through the difficulties of writing. I have long admired her ability to teach both in informal and formal settings without any hint of didacticism. Looking back, every moment with Professor Babayan has been a time of learning—whether about history, methodology, pedagogy or life in general. I am particularly thankful for her ability to nurture collegiality and conversation across fields and disciplines. She inspires with and leaves one to aspire to her creative mind, her passion for scholarship, and her skills as a mentor. For that inspiration I will be forever grateful. Gottfried Hagen from very early on began to inspire me with his questions about my historical subject, which continue to set me on different iii investigative paths. His questions have in many ways helped me crystalize the questions I pose in this dissertation. I am grateful for his meticulous readings of my writing, which have helped me improve my dissertation significantly. I am particularly thankful for the many hours that he patiently spent with me while I struggled to decipher the Ottoman handwritten script of my documents. I will forever be amazed by and aspire to his broad spectrum of knowledge, extending to the most obscure of details (which often prove to be relevant). Needless to say my dissertation has greatly benefited from his immense knowledge of Ottoman history, which he carries with great modesty. My committee members have played important roles throughout my years at Michigan and beyond. Fatma Müge Göçek with her generosity has always been willing to help, whether by going through a piece of my writing or thinking through the macro-picture of my research. I am particularly thankful for her words of encouragement, which have come particularly handy in the anxious moments of graduate studies. My conversations with Ronald Suny over the years have been very helpful in developing a number of ideas that appear in this dissertation. I am thankful for his scholarship, enthusiasm and stamina. I am particularly grateful to Melanie Tanielian for spending the time to help and guide me in thinking through the historiography of the Middle East in the earlier stages of my graduate studies, as well as her careful reading of my writings. Gerard Libaridian is probably the “culprit” in for all of this. My conversations with him dating back to my undergraduate years as well as the inspiration I drew from his own writings, triggered my interest in history. He continued to expand my curiosity during my early years at the University of Michigan. His persistent attentiveness to and questioning of the meanings of words cultivated in me a particular sensitivity towards words and their meanings, which I hope is evident in this dissertation. He spent many hours teaching me to decipher handwritten Armenian iv texts, a skill without which I would not have been able to write this dissertation. In many ways, his work has inspired the questions I have asked here, and I hope it is clear that even if some of my arguments question some of the premises of his work, I would not have been able to make those arguments, if he had not made his own first. I am thankful for the warmth and generosity with which Gerard Libaridian and Nora Nercessian welcomed me to Ann Arbor and made me feel at home in their house in Ann Arbor and Cambridge. I would particularly like to thank Nora Nercessian for the many conversations we have had that has helped me navigate the intricacies of life and academia. A number of other professors have been critical during my graduate studies. Valerie Kivelson through her class on the Russian Empire opened my eyes and woke my curiosity about social history. Kevork Bardakjian introduced me to the works of Garegin Srvandzteants‘ and Yeremia Tevkants‘, which have been critical to my dissertation. I would also like to thank Bedross Der Matossian, Sebouh Aslanian, Houri Berberian, Tamar Boyadjian, Vahé Tachjian, Stephan Astourian and Elyse Semerdjian who, at various stages in my work, have given me helpful advice and opportunities. During my time at Michigan the Armenian Studies Program (ASP) has been crucial to my intellectual growth. I am thankful to all of the postdoctoral and predoctoral fellows, visiting scholars and students who have been part of ASP and who are too many to list. I would like to particularly thank Vahram Danielian, who during my first year in Ann Arbor helped me through some difficult times, and who has been a great friend and interlocutor ever since. I would also like to thank Murat Cankara, who spent many hours with me reading through Armeno-Turkish texts, and later reading through and commenting on parts of my dissertation. My many conversations with Christopher Sheklian, as well as his engaged readings of some of my chapters v have been crucial in my rethinking of different concepts and ideas. Michael Pifer was one of my earliest acquaintances in Ann Arbor, and has persistently amazed me with his kind soul and sharp mind. Our conversations and his careful readings of my writings have significantly contributed to this dissertation. I feel truly lucky to have him as a peer and a friend. There are a great number of other friends and colleagues in and outside of Michigan who have been crucial in my journey and in my intellectual growth. During my first year at Michigan, shortly after I met Haydar Darıcı, we started talking as if we were long-lost friends. I will always miss our wide-ranging conversations about the world and our dissertations. Zozan Pehlivan, whom I got to know better in the Ottoman archives, has become a true friend and a strong source of support and encouragement, as well as vital comments and information for my dissertation. I would particularly like to thank Neveser Köker who has been a dear friend and has inspired me through her work and by being the amazing and smart person that she is. Our friendship and collaboration have meant a lot to me. Seçil Binboga too has been a helpful interlocutor and friend. I am truly grateful for my many collaborations with Tolga Yaşar Cora, which have always been learning experiences. He has been a friend and colleague, whose mind I often like to pick and whose dedication and hard work I truly respect. Of course, I also have to thank Ali Sipahi for introducing me to Tolga, and for pushing us to undertake our book project, which generated many important conversations among us. Whether the subject was theory, history or politics, I have particularly enjoyed the ability to joke with Ali over our disagreements. My conversastions with Richard Antaramian in the beginning of my graduate studies helped shape some of my views on Ottoman Armenian history and historiography. Indeed, his own dissertation—one of the very few works discussing nineteenth-century Van in English and within vi Ottoman historiography—has been crucial for my own dissertation. Friends and colleagues who have commented on different parts of my dissertation, and with whom I have had many helpful conversations, include Toygun Altıntaş and Annie Greene. I am particularly thankful for my early writing group that included Madeleine Elfenbein, Ercument Asıl, Tolga Cora, Ella Fratantuono, Alex Balistreri and Neveser Köker. I would also like to thank Rachel Harrell-Bilici for editing my dissertation. I would also like to thank Anoush Suni for sharing with me our passion of Van and for helping me tour the Van region during my visit there. I am also grateful for the invaluable conversations and support I have received from the following individuals: Fuat Dündar, Vazken Davidian, Frank Castigligione, Ashley Dimmig, Tuğçe Kayaal and Owen Miller. And I would like to thank all those who participated to the Multidisciplinary Workshop for Armenian Studies, through which I was able to workshop a number of the early drafts of my chapters. With my nomadic habits many people have been generous enough to let me stay in their homes, which was often accompanied by good food and great conversation. These kind hosts include Ohannes and Tulay Kılıçdağı, Haydar Darıcı, Hakel al-Rustom, Seçil Binboga and Golriz Farshi, Tolga and İpek Hüner-Cora.