Microhistory: Writing About Individual Lives

microhistory- a focus on an individual event, person, or community

Presentation: Carlo Ginzburg The Cheese and the Worms — 10 min presentation this time :(

  • What did you learn?

  • What surprised you?

  • How did they format this microhistory/biography?

Wasif’s Microhistory

WW1 is the first most influential moment of the Middle East, as it set up what it is today with the deconstruction of the Ottoman Empire

  • Wasif was in the middle of this!

    • Jaruselum 

Facts:

  • Arab-Christian

    • Greek Orthodox

  • a WHORE

    • orgys…he got DOWN

    • cocaine and weed useage

  • mucisian/composer

    • ‘oud player

    • private musician

      • lil parties…some got dirty

    • very important

      • modernized traditional music and such

  • fought in the Ottoman navy

    • grain logistics officer

      • counted grains for the grain trade

  • odd jobs in youth

    • barbers assistant

  • comes from a family that also held odd jobs, but was influential

    • father worked with the mayor

  • was an icon maker (like the Virgin Mary statues/paintings) 

  • CONNECTIONS

    • powerful families

    • connected to jobs and a no-show jobs where he showed up once to do nothing

  • spoke many languages Arabic

    • Greek used during services

    • Turkish bc he’s from the Ottoman Empire,,, which was of Turks

    • Arabic bc hes Arabic

    • German bc why not

    • English wooooo

  • unorthodox education

    • formal, oral education

      • memorized the Qu’ran

        • Weird bc he’s not muslim!

        • religious text, but it’s a prestigious form of Arabic

          • like memorizing latin

        • increased his status

      • missionary schools (Jerusalem is the holy land)

        • Britain and the U.S.

        • taught english

        • teaches aspects of European culture

          • new ideas, books, ways of thinking

    • dropped out to pursue his music

Wasif’s story shows a different story of Jerusalem, which is seen as a very holy and conservative place (he’s not so holy…) 

Tamari argues that during a time of crisis and great change, people from various backgrounds can share a similar experience, but have a different outlook.

Jerusalem’s Ottoman Modernity

  • religious tolerance

    • confessionalism being removed

      • division based on nationality

    • holidays

    • secularization

      • separating religious and public life

    • (We don’t have to go to church together, but we can get along!)

  • Innovation and industrialization

    • railroads

  • The concept of the middle class

    • capitalism and society