A tale of coexistence: A history of Cyprus from 1860 to 1931

This dissertation examines the inter-communal relationships between Orthodox Christian Greek Cypriots and Muslim Turkish Cypriots from 1860 to 1931. The study aims to shed light on a history of coexistence on the island of Cyprus. The main goal of this dissertation is to present an inclusive bi-communal narrative and to ask new questions about the national identity construction processes of the two communities living together. The chronological timeline of the thesis is started with the Ottoman inspection on the island in 1860 and is completed with the rebellion in 1931. The study intends to start from 1860, in other words, before the administration of the island was passed to the British, and end with the 1931 rebellion because it was necessary to take a date after 1923 in order to see the effects of the establishment of the new Turkish Republic of Turkey and its aftermath on Cyprus. Further, it examines the identity formation processes of Cypriots using "ambivalence" while con-structing a common historical narrative by examining the daily lives of Cypriots and their inter-communal relationships. Based on Ottoman and British sources, this study explores the socio-political life of Orthodox Christian Greek Cypriots and Muslim Turkish Cypriots during the late Ottoman period and under British colonial rule.