“Matmazels” in the harem. European Governesses in the
Ottoman Empire
This paper examines the experiences of European governesses living
and working in the Ottoman Empire. Called murebbiye or enstütris, these
were women hired by upper and upper-middle class families associated with
the new bureaucratic apparatus to teach their children foreign languages and
the new (European) social graces. Governesses also filled a need for social
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296 Summaries
capital, prestige, and conspicuous consumption; that is, for this particular
class of Ottomans, a governess was not only necessary for preparing one’s
children for their future roles, but was in and of herself a marker of the family’s
social position, wealth and Westernizing world view.