Inventing Laziness

'Melis Hafez's brilliant exposé of the calls for improvement in Ottoman citizens' productivity ties into a larger global transition implicating the modern state, capitalism, and a bourgeois intellectual elite. Inventing Laziness is thus a revelation that sets the standard for both Ottoman and larger European studies for the next generation.' Isa Blumi, Stockholm University 'Melis Hafez brilliantly explores late Ottoman discourses and anxieties regarding laziness as a major social disease and the need to turn Ottomans into proactive and productive citizens. By using a broad set of Ottoman texts and sources, many of them examined for the first time, Hafez analyzes this new culture of productivity, offering a sophisticated, multi-layered and persuasive discussion about its intellectual and Islamic sources, development, and ramifications.' Eyal Ginio, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 'Hafez' original and substantive work considers the ways in which an Ottoman culture of productivity, crucial to the national project, was developed and promoted. She shows Islamist authors deploying the language of productivity to defend the role of Islam and emphasize its relevance for a new Ottoman nation. An intriguing read.' Palmira Brummett, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 'The book offers great insight into global discussions on capitalism, nationalism, Orientalism, and the modern state which anyone with or without an interest in Ottoman history would benefit from.' Şeyma Afacan, Eurasian Studies