Lectures on Tap - "Mothers, Wives, Slaves: Politics in the Ottoman Harem"
- The Den Theatre 1331 North Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, IL, 60622 United States (map)
Presented by The Den Theatre
This event has a 2 item minimum.
For centuries, Europeans imagined the Ottoman harem as a secret world of luxury, sensuality, and mystery. In reality, it was one of the most important—and dangerous—political arenas in the empire.
In this lecture, Dr. John J Murphy uncovers the real politics of the harem: the structure of palace life, the rise of powerful royal mothers, and the remarkable story of Roxelana (Hürrem Sultan), a captured woman from Eastern Europe who rose from enslaved concubine to legal wife of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent.
Dr. John Murphy is a historian and educator who lives for the sparks that fly when politics, culture, and art collide. He’s written on Revolutionary Chinese Ballet, taught everything from Soviet Cinema to World History, and has a soft spot for the oddities—pamphlets, plays, and propaganda—that end up reshaping empires.
Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌
The Den Theatre and comedy club is pleased to host Lectures on Tap on May 18 15, 2026 at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.
Tickets are currently available at thedentheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830.
