Fueling The Empire: Labor And Foreign Migration In Late Ottoman Zonguldak Coalfields

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b3422577

This study portrays the late Ottoman Zonguldak coalfields, focusing on foreign workers’ experiences in the surface and underground industries and the relations of these workers with other actors in the region, such as Ottoman workers and the state. In particular, it focuses on the role of migration in shaping the workforce and social relations in the coalfields, as well as the political and diplomatic consequences of migration in the region. It argues that foreign labor migration, which accelerated after the establishment of the Ottoman Ereğli Company, contributed to the stratification of the region’s labor force and created complex intercommunal relations. At the same time, the mobility of foreign workers became a politicized issue. It provoked anxieties among state officials at different levels, who developed strategies to prevent the arrival of foreign workers in the basin. However, preventing the arrival of foreigners sparked diplomatic discussions between the Ottoman Empire and the workers’ home countries, which required the government to reshape its policies over time. Finally, this study traces the experiences of foreign workers in their final destination and argues that government officials developed a securitarian discourse against the presence of foreign workers due to problems, such as intercommunal strife due to occupational competition and diplomatic intervention by foreign representatives in Ottoman affairs. Meanwhile, the presence of foreign workers increased radical militancy and labor activism in the region, creating new relations between different actors and challenges for government officials.