Conference : Valentina Izmirlieva, Hajji Mama, or the Christian Family Hajj to Jerusalem
From the 17th through 19th centuries, the Balkan Christians of the Ottoman Empire modeled their pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the Muslim Hajj to Mecca. They even called themselves ‘hajjis’, using an Islamic honorific, while insisting on the strictly Christian nature of their quest. Through archival narratives and other scattered clues, Valentina Izmirlieva will explore how this paradoxical Christian Hajj evolved into a family project and a surprising vehicle for female empowerment in late Ottoman society.
The conference will take place at Bâtiment des Philosophes, room Phil 204, on the 21st April 2026, 18:15.
16 avr. 2026