A Life of Longing and Belonging: The Ottoman Armenian American Worldview of Christopher Oscanyan (1815–95)

This article serves as an introduction to the person of Christopher Oscanyan, an Ottoman Armenian writer, entrepreneur, lecturer, translator, public figure, and one-time consul general from Constantinople to New York City. In focusing on Christopher Oscanyan as an Ottoman Armenian—a consideration which has yet to be undertaken in the current scholarship—and reflecting on the existential tensions and harmonies he embodies in this capacity, this article seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversations regarding the lived experience and social location of Armenians in and from the Ottoman Empire before the genocide. This study is, additionally, a preliminary step towards a more detailed and comprehensive exploration and analysis of the life and work of Christopher Oscanyan.