"Mixed marriages" and "religious conversions" in Cyprus during the Turkokratia: A non-existent or non-visible phenomenon?
Lecture by Paul Sant Cassia, Professor of Antrhopoly, University of Malta
8 July 2025 | 19:00
This lecture will explore the themes of mixed marriages and religious conversions in Cyprus during the Ottoman era, and more specifically, the significance of women’s choice on the matter. The professor’s lecture will be followed by a short discussion and Q&A.
The lecture will be held in English.
Paul Sant Cassia is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Malta. He previously taught at the Universities of Cambridge and Durham, UK, between 1985-2009. He has conducted research in Cyprus since 1977 and has published on politics, kinship, banditry, and the issue of Missing Persons in Cyprus ("Bodies of Evidence", Oxford: Berghahn, 2005).
Painting details:
Inscribed in lower right: Mustafa Agas (Kasourides) of the custom office, Larnaca, 22 Fevrier 1828 (Inscription repeated in Arabic; bears sale stamp 1883)
The watercolour portrays a Christian converted to Islam, identified by a Turkish and a Greek name. He is Mustafa Agas, Kasourides, chief of customs at Larnaca port. A member of the Ottoman administration, the sitter is dressed in Ottoman attire with a green coat (Kaftan) denoting his membership in the Ottoman elite.
Painting identifier:
PNT-00241
This event is made possible with the support of The Hellenic Initiative Canada.
