Why timars? Why now? Ottoman timars in the light of recent historiography

Abstract

Ottoman historians lost interest in timars a generation ago due to simultaneous intellectual and political crises, namely methodological skepticism and the end of the cold war. The archival methodology used in timar research was subjected to withering critique, and the underlying motivation for the research, land reform in East-Central Europe and Turkey, was dissipated. Renewed scholarly interest in the timar institution is driven by awareness of transnational themes, efforts to theorize complexity, and the value of transparency and self-consciousness in research agendas.