Representing (Some) Jewish Midwives in the Re-formation of the Ottoman State

Abstract: This article joins new scholarly directions that reevaluate the professionalization of women's health during state-building. It concentrates on the modernization of the Ottoman state during and after the Tanzimat 1839–1876. Addressing two central issues: first, it focuses on unlicensed Jewish midwives, and the sources examined—which differ in their producers, aims, audience, and languages—reveal a significant political and cultural change in the portrayal of midwives. Second, it examines Jews' participation in the professionalization of women's health, which I argue had clear boundaries, as I demonstrate that Ottoman Jews were engaged in debates that called for the supervision of unlicensed midwives and the advancement of scientific medicine methods; however, pregnancy termination and Jewish midwives as leading performers of this practice were not discussed. Focusing on Ottoman Jews, this article underscores cultural divergences in Ottoman perceptions about pregnancy termination.