Imperial Legacy: The Ottoman Imprint on the Balkans and the Middle East

L. Brown

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0231103050 ISBN 13: 9780231103053

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 1997

The Ottoman Empire ranks alongside the Roman and Byzantine as one of the most powerful and long-lasting imperial systems in world history. In existence from the late thirteenth century until 1923 and embracing at its height most of Southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, it was certainly the most imposing and arguably the most influential political system over the course of more than a millennium of Islamic history. Though the Ottoman Empire left an indelible mark on people in many parts of the world, in the modern West its influence is little understood. For many living in former Ottoman-controlled regions, this heritage is often rejected or misrepresented as unwanted alien domination.Imperial Legacy gathers together distinguished scholars to demonstrate how the Ottoman legacy continues to shape patterns of behavior and perception among the peoples of Western Asia, Northern Africa, and Southeastern Europe. The authors also explore how this complex history is reinscribed by nations and ethnic groups in the building of ideologies and identities today. Ranging widely through issues including politics, diplomacy, education, language, and religion, these essays also address the different regional perspectives on the Ottoman Legacy found in the Arab world, the Balkans, and the Republic of Turkey. Imperial Legacy enriches our understanding of the Ottoman past and provides needed insights into the post-Ottoman present.

Review:

A feast of thoughtful and informative essays, this timely collection explores an age-old issue: the impact of the past on the present. Contributors -whose names make a very impressive list -consider . . . influences of the Ottoman Empire on its successor states in the Balkans and the Arab world. If, as the editor remarks, the studies 'aim more for broad themes than discrete details, ' they provide substance enough for thorough lessons in historical influence.

"A feast of thoughtful and informative essays, this timely collection explores an age-old issue: the impact of the past on the present. Contributors -- whose names make a very impressive list -- consider... influences of the Ottoman Empire on its successor states in the Balkans and the Arab world. If, as the editor remarks, the studies 'aim more for broad themes than discrete details, ' they provide substance enough for thorough lessons in historical influence." -- "Choice"

About the Author:

L. Carl Brown is Garrett Professor in Foreign Affairs Emeritus at Princeton University, and a former director of the interdisciplinary Program in Near Eastern Studies.