Preindustrial Constantinople’s streets exposed residents to many distinct nationalities daily.

Evidence

As you passed through the bazaars you might meet a company of Russian traders, come to sell furs and wax and slaves, wandering with a police escort-for one could not trust such barbarians’ behavior-or you might see Arab merchants treated with the deference that members of a sister-civilization deserved; or slick Italians, from Venice or Amalfi, fraternizing with the citizens but viewed always with a certain suspicion. Occasionally you might come across a group of Persians or slant-eyed men from Central Asia, or might watch members of the small Jewish colony welcome co-religionists from the Caspian or from Spain. — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 232

Categorization

• XREF: Directly evidences the reader’s core question about how strangers are categorized in public space — connects to Lofland’s larger taxonomy and Simmel’s urban typification.