Imperial Harem--Post Colloquium

After the class discussion of Imperial Harem, I find that many of the topics I found most interesting and most of the questions I hoped to pose to the class did not really come up. The discussion was certainly thought-provoking and forced me to consider the connotations of Ottoman Slavery when contrasted with slavery in the United States and the other places in the world--a topic that I had taken for granted while reading.

There were many subjects and themes discussed in the text of which I had never before heard. For instance, I did not have any idea of what a “harem” was before the reading. Although I had heard the word, I did not know that it carried any political connotations or that it was a vital component of Royal Family life. I gathered from the text and class discussion, however, that the generalized Western perception of a Harem is reminiscent of a whorehouse (based strongly on the sexual fantasies of ill informed, European men). I know now that a Harem was really a structured environment under which the sexual activities of the ruling class could be carefully scrutinized and monitored.

Despite the fact that the idea of a "harem" is not recognized or put into practice in the West, I feel that comparisons in sexual activity can certainly be drawn--especially in regards to Western ruling dynasties. Very rarely was sexual activity kept within the bonds of marriage, but it was covered with secrecy and generally ignored by the public. A harem, on the other hand, served as an arena for the ruling class to play out sexual desires while still ensuring the well-being of the dynasty's future, and being kept in check by the public. It is very interesting to me that even though the Ottomans did not exercise a democratic government system, they allowed public opinion to matter so much (leading to the implementation of the Imperial Harem).