The Ottoman millet system organized society by religious community rather than territory

Evidence

During the four centuries of Ottoman rule the millet system exemplified the manner by which the Ottoman State related to the various ethnic and religious minorities within its borders and allowed each millet a degree of self-rule within Ottoman economic and political hegemony. In fact, “Ottoman principles of social and political organization were diametrically opposed to the ideas of the territorial state and ethnic nationality” (Karpat, 1988:35). — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3469

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the millet system as the Ottoman administrative model for organizing religious minorities with self-rule but no territorial claim.
• XREF: connects to: Ottoman society was relatively tolerant toward Jews and Christians