Information on the Role of the Neighborhood Residents as a Social Control Mechanism in Ayntab in the 16th Century

The concept of social control involves a social reaction against behaviors regarded as social deviation. In Ottoman cities the neighborhood meant not only a physical unit but also a social unit contributing to maintaining social control. In this study, the role that the neighborhood and neighborhood residents had as a social control mechanism in the 16th Century was investigated within the context of the city of Ayntab by making use of the city's seriye records (ser'iye sicili). The information obtained from court records demonstrated that the neighborhood resident had a crucial function as a mechanism of social control.