Topic
Premodern Migratory Society
Based on the example of an early modern urban society in Eastern Europe, this project examines the socio-cultural consequences of long-term and multifaceted processes of migration., . The aim is to trace and explain the specific features that shaped multi-ethnic and multi-confessional urban coexistence beyond national antagonisms.
Migration Society and Transcultural Interdependence in a Plural Urban Space: Kamjaneć-Podilśkyj in the 16th/17th Century
Kamjaneć in Podolia was a supra-regional trading centre and, at the same time, an important border fortress in southeastern Poland. It was situated in the immediate vicinity of the Ottoman Empire, the Principality of Moldavia and the Crimean Khanate. One of this city’s unique features was its tripartite self-government with Armenian, Polish and Ruthenian magistrates, exemplifying the pluralistic nature of migration societies. However, the city's location on the border and frequent armed conflicts in the region also necessitated the development of a city-wide awareness of Tartar and Ottoman attacks.
The study draws attention to the situative modes of identification of migrant people by themselves and others in a multipolar field of actors and asks how and with whom affiliations were negotiated and how demarcations were established and implemented. An analytical approach to processes of trans- and intercultural entanglement serves as a key to explain the development of urban social formations.
The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
