Palestinian Peasants and Ottoman Officials

In a unique study of rural administration in the Ottoman empire, Amy Singer explores the relationship between Palestinian peasants and Ottoman officials in mid-sixteenth-century Jerusalem. Using court records, the author describes the mechanisms of tax collection and other aspects of local administration. The book emphasizes the interactive nature of Ottoman officialdom, which, while obliged to extract revenues from the peasants and impress them with its imperial authority, was profoundly influenced by local conditions and traditional practices.