6 thoughts on “Shemsigul”

  1. I definitely feel that the Shemsigul story should be required reading for this class, and for any class studying Middle Eastern culture for that matter. Although elements of this story can be linked with common stereotypes of the Middle East€”such as harems, belly-dancing, and mistreatment of women, I do not think that the story verifies these stereotypes in any way. On the contrary, the story of Shemisigul's life contradicts some common stereotypes that Americans (or €˜Westerners') may have of the Middle East and Middle Eastern women. For example, Shemisigul's strong position as a dominant, courageous, brave women who isn't afraid to stand up for herself in a world ruled by men counters the common view of the subordinated, repressed, and confined Middle Eastern woman. Although the story does prove that female slaves like Shemisigul were harshly mistreated, it also shows that if women have the courage to speak out and fight for their rights, they can be successful and can possibly improve their lives. Sadly, we do not know the end of Shemisigul's story. We can only hope that her struggles and eventual empowerment led her to a better life than she had as a female slave.

  2. I believe the narrative of Shemsigul is a pivotal reading, as the story provides insight into the lives of slaves, which is typically considered as under-presented during the peak of the Ottoman Empire’s slave trade. Shemsigul’s situation defies many stereotypes, as she not only publicly speaks out against her owner, but she also approaches the police who carefully listen to the supposed crime that has occurred against her. Furthermore, Shemsigul receives compassion from the wife of a dignitary, Selim Bey, which is more than expected for a white female slave during this time (c. 1850). In regards to harems, Shemsigul again defies the stereotype of such a slave system, as her purchase by Deli Mehmet restricted the supposed ability to be paired with a male member of the family, as Shemsigul instead most typically received much harassment. The aforementioned topics, along with the necessity (and education!) of midwives, the rights of manumission, abortion & contraception all delve into deeper aspects of Middle Eastern culture than I would have ever considered in my historical studies of the region and its people. For these reasons alone, this narrative seems to be more than crucial for our course.

  3. I agree with the previous posts that this chapter was necessary for our class; it was successful in refuting the preconceived notions of slaves, women, laws, etc. of the Middle East during the Ottoman Empire. The realities of subsisting as a slave, displayed through Shemsigul, contradicted the romanticized perspective established by European travelers. The harems are typically viewed as mysterious and are intriguing due to this perception. However, in reality women and slaves, who were subjects of harems, were limited in their ability to choose for themselves. On the other hand, it was surprising that the slave trade guild had a strict code of ethics which provided rights to the slaves. It is unfortunate that the slaves could be sexually harassed or raped without legal consequences. At the same time, the law supported the slave's position if the slave became pregnant. In fact, the slave received freedom upon the death of her owner and her child would be born free with claim to his/her father's inheritance. In addition, as Ishmael mentioned above, Shemsigul had a vast pool of support from several slave dealers and Selim Bey, a dignitary's wife. The circumstances in this story are unique since Shemsigul is a woman and slave, whereas her defenders occupy superior statuses in society. This exhibits that there is a higher importance placed on compassion and obliging the law rather than maintaining class divisions. Therefore, the story of Shemsigul had many layers that negated stereotypical views of the Middle Eastern society, politics and law.

  4. I do feel that this reading should be included as a required reading for this class. It provides insight on a way of life many of us did not know existed in the middle east. I definitely did not know the extent of female slavery or how badly slave owners treated their slaves, like in the story of Shemsigul. As mentioned earlier, the reading also shows that not all women throughout the middle east are subject to the rule of men, and that they do in fact have a say, and throughout time have gained more rights and say. Middle Eastern women can stand up for themselves, as proved by the reading of Shemsigul’s life, and it is important that people understand this.

  5. As previous posts have said, the story of Shemsigul is valuable because it contradicted students preconceived notions about women during this time period. Images like belly dancing do not come to my head when I think about harems after reading this story.
    What surprised me, and I think a lot of other students was the attempted regulation that was imposed on the treatment of slaves. It seems logical that any society that allowed the slavery and degradation of other human beings would not have a moral discussion and enforce rules about how those slaves were to be treated. In the United States for example, the same logic that lead to legal slavery did not provide any protection for those people.
    This reading provides insight into the society in which Shemsigul lived because we are shown how the legal system works. Studying how a society constructs it’s legal system is the best way to laern its values and that is why this reading is important.

  6. I thought that this reading about Shemsigul, the Circassian slave who not only understood but most importantly fought for her rights in the mid-nineteenth century Egypt was definitely a chapter worth including in this class on the Middle East. One of the topics we have focused on in class discussions is that of "orientalism" and viewing people or cultures through a naive "Western" eye. We are flooded with various stereotypes and perceptions of the Middle East constantly flashed to us by the media. When some people think of Middle Eastern women, they think of harems, in which they picture sensual, naked women lying around a room awaiting their male partners. What this chapter shows us is that there is another side to these preconceived notions. Harems seem to be more like areas for female support, comfort and privacy rather than brothels; a place for women to regroup and discuss. I hadn't been familiar with the rights of slaves during that period of the Ottoman Empire, so it was interesting to me to learn that they could not be legally sold if they were pregnant, that their child would automatically be free and that the mother would be set free after her master had passed away. What impressed me about Shemsigul was her courage and determination to stand up for what she knew was rightly hers. She fought for justice and although we are not positive of the conclusion of her trial, the facts seemed to lean in her favor. She stuck with her honest story and invalidated Deli Mehmet's claims in front of many important people. This goes to show that justice can be served in Middle Eastern societies and that powerful leaders really do try to do what is right and best for their people.

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