The administrative, socio-cultural, and economic structure of Uluborlu district during the tanzimat era

The doctoral thesis focusing on the Uluborlu District during the Tanzimat period aims to elucidate the administrative, socio-cultural, and economic aspects of the district and the impacts of the Tanzimat reforms in these areas within the academic discipline of history. In this context, the study seeks to illuminate the administrative structure and institutions, social spaces, material culture elements, family structure and formation, societal events, and economic dynamics of the district. Pursuing the defined objectives, various archival sources, including registry records from the State Archives, have been scrutinized alongside other archival materials and scholarly works. The modernization and restructuring process, initiated on a broad scale with the Tanzimat reforms and gradually extending from the center to the periphery, significantly shaped the administrative structure and institutions of Uluborlu. Following the 1842 provincial administrative regulations that conferred administrative status to Uluborlu District, councils with representatives from both Muslim and nonmuslim communities were established and commenced their activities in 1868, parallel to the reforms conducted in the central government. Despite the prevalence of Sharia law governing family formation in the district, the Tanzimat period witnessed the effects of regulations concerning family formation and the modern perspective on polygamous marriages. Uluborlu, characterized by an extended nuclear family structure, demonstrated a proportional relationship between the number of children a family had and their income. In Uluborlu, where the middle class held economic dominance, the foundation of the economy was based on agriculture and animal husbandry. Nevertheless, sectors related to leatherworking, blacksmithing, and weaving, dependent on commercial life, invigorated the economy. In line with the era's principles of equality and justice, new regulations were introduced to the district's tax system. However, natural disasters during this period occasionally rendered the local population not only unable to pay taxes but also in need. In conclusion, the effects of the administrative, institutional, societal, and economic transformation during the Tanzimat process, which initially began in the center and gradually permeated the periphery, were observed in Uluborlu district.