The project offers a comparative perspective on relations between the Great Powers, the Porte, and the Ottoman Christians, taking into account the ideological component. The purpose is to explore the diverse manifestations of the Great Powers’ patronage politics toward Christian groups to potentially use them as strategic minorities. The research explains how various imperial powers tried to cope with the threats of the strengthening of each of them in the context of the Eastern Question.

An article summing up Olena Uvarova’s experience as a NEC Fellow is available in Research in View: 2024/2025 Fellows’ Essays.