| Περίληψη: | The chapter deals with the phenomenon of Islamization in the Ottoman lands. Conversion to Islam of individuals or entire groups was observed throughout the Ottoman rule, but had different speeds and characteristics depending on the period and the region. The chapter comprehensively examines this complex issue in all its aspects, from the forced Islamization in the course of the “child-levy” (devşirme) to the voluntary accession to Islam, and discusses both the social dynamics that promoted and the factors that constrained it. The issue is examined in the context of the broader debate on religious conversion, a phenomenon characteristic of early modernity, and in comparison with the wider European experience. Finally, the chapter also examines the limited –but indicative– inverse movement of Christianization, especially during the late Ottoman period.
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