This book explores how premodern Ottomans characterised public office corruption and what specific transgressions they associated with this notion before the nineteenth century. It identifies articulations of self-interested abuses of power in this context and illustrates how they resonate in some ways with modern perspectives.

Böaç Ergene specializes in Ottoman social, economic, and legal history. He is the author, co-author, or editor of five books, including The Economics of Ottoman Justice (Cambridge U.P, 2016; with Metin Cögel) and Halal Food: A History (Oxford U.P, 2018; with Febe Armanios). He has also published numerous articles on various aspects of Ottoman history in major academic journals. Professor Ergene teaches Islamic and Middle Eastern history at the University of Vermont in the United States.

• Glossary


• A Note on Transliteration


• Introduction Conceptual Reflections


• 1: Corruption Based on Pre-Ottoman Jurisprudential Sources


• 2: Corruption in Ottoman Jurisprudence


• 3: Abuse and Predation in State Documents


• 4: Controlling Corruption


• 5: Corruption in Ottoman Political Literature


• 6: Corruption According to Accounts for Foreigners


• 7: Gifts as Bribes


• 8: On the Morality of Patronage: The Case of Ilmiye


• Conclusion: Possible Rationalizations of Corruption and Other Afterthoughts


• References


• Index