This collection of essays represents a departure from the traditional
perspective, recently questioned by many scholars, from which Ottoman
history is usually written. Central to the establishment of Western
domination over the 'East' is the writing of its history in terms of
Western hegemony, above all in the case of the Ottoman Empire, which has
been characterised as static, irrational and authoritarian in contrast
with the dynamic, rational, democratic West. This book contrasts sharply
with conventional studies of the Ottoman Empire, based on this European
world-view, that focus on political military, and cultural institutions.
Following a series of general theoretical discussions about Ottoman
social structure, the contributors turn to case studies directed either
to theoretical problems or to 'facts' which suggest new avenues of
conceptualisation.