The Well-Protected Domains: Ideology and the Legitimation of Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1876-1909
by Selim Deringil
Category: History

How did the late Ottoman Empire grapple with the challenge of modernity and survive? Rejecting explanations based on the concept of an Islamic empire, or the tired paradigm of the Eastern Question, the author argues that far richer insights can be gained by focusing on imperial ideology and drawing out the striking similarities between the Ottoman and other late legitimist empires like Russia, Austria and Japan.