Oil and Petroleum in the Ottoman Empire

Oil and Petroleum in the Ottoman Empire

Volkan Ş. Ediger, in his work "Oil and Petroleum in the Ottoman Empire," which won the 2006 Sedat Simavi Award, examines the adventure of oil in the Ottoman Empire, a subject that defined and transformed the 20th century. Since its first publication in 2005, this work has been considered a valuable reference book. After documenting the perspective on oil/petroleum in historical sources, it examines the global economic and political consequences of the introduction of oil as an energy source in the second half of the 19th century. Evaluating the policies related to this substance, which primarily determined the formation of the "Middle East" in its present form and with its problems, Ediger explores the challenges and dilemmas the Ottoman Empire faced in its transition from a coal-based industrialization world to an oil-based economy, a world it had not yet fully adapted to. Unlike politically-focused readings, the author, focusing on the last century of the Ottoman Empire through the lens of capitalist means of production and infrastructural power, meticulously addresses the economic and political problems inherited by the Republic.

In today's world, where international energy policies are intensely debated, a new energy paradigm is emerging, similar to that of the last century. As climate crisis alarm bells ring, the abandonment of fossil fuels and the establishment of a global transition to green energy are being discussed. Volkan Ş. Ediger's work, both then and now, offers a key reading for understanding the socio-economic struggles underlying these discussions.

Author: Volkan Ş. Ediger

 Publisher: Dergah Publications

 ISBN: 9786258437058

 Binding: Paperback

 Language: Turkish

 Dimensions: 13.5 x 21 cm

 Number of Pages: 548