Extractive Colonialism and State Making in Early Modern Ottoman Kurdistan

This article explores the overlooked dimension of Ottoman colonialism through an analysis of resource extraction in the Keban and Ergani mines during the early modern era. Situated in the Kurdistan province, these mines played a pivotal role in furnishing essential minerals for the Ottoman state's fiscal and military exigencies. Departing from conventional narratives, which often emphasize discursive practices or focus solely on settler colonialism, the study adopts an extractive colonialism framework to reveal the intricate relationship between imperialism, resource exploitation, and indigenous resistance. Ultimately, it contributes to the burgeoning literature on the coloniality of Kurdistan by providing empirical evidence of economic exploitation, environmental degradation, and the erosion of local autonomy in the face of heightened state centralization, control, and economic expansion.