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Karen Barkey
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Empire of Difference: The Ottomans in Comparative Perspective

by Karen Barkey (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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This book is a comparative study of imperial organization and longevity that assesses Ottoman successes as well as failures against those of other empires with similar characteristics. Barkey examines the Ottoman Empire’s social organization and mechanisms of rule at key moments of its history, emergence, imperial institutionalization, remodeling, and transition to nation-state, revealing how the empire managed these moments, adapted, and averted crises and what changes made it transform dramatically. The flexible techniques by which the Ottomans maintained their legitimacy, the cooperation of their diverse elites both at the center and in the provinces, as well as their control over economic and human resources were responsible for the longevity of this particular “negotiated empire.” Her analysis illuminates topics that include imperial governance, imperial institutions, imperial diversity and multiculturalism, the manner in which dissent is handled and/or internalized, and the nature of state society negotiations.
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  1. ISBN-10
    9780521715331
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0521715331
  3. Publisher
    Cambridge University Press
  4. Publication date
    June 23, 2008
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.1 x 0.81 x 9.1 inches
  7. Print length
    360 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you want to understand how Empires are established, how they flourish and how they vanish, and if you’re only reading one book, make it Barkey’s Empire of Difference. Here, on impressive display are: an amazing command of six centuries of Ottoman history, a rare ability to illuminate the analysis with comparisons from neighboring empires, and, most important, a never-failing grasp of the theoretical questions that matter. The intellectual ambition of this enterprise is audacious; it is an ambition that is fully realized. It vindicates the promise of historical sociology at the highest level.”
–James C. Scott, Yale University

“This book about the past has stunning relevance to the present – and to the future. Karen Barkey has not only contributed to our understanding of empire – she has derived from history lessons that are highly pertinent to the modern, post-imperial world. She combines the skills of an imaginative and disciplined scholar with an intimate personal knowledge of the Ottoman legacy as well as a natural talent for lucid explication and narrative verve. She explains how the longevity of the Ottomans’ ‘Abode of Peace’ was a result of their ability to adapt to changing internal and external circumstances – and how the intercommunal peace itself resulted from Sultans’ and viziers’ efforts to make a virtue out of diversity. Her concept of a ‘negotiated enterprise’―in effect, a social arrangement on a massive scale that relied as much on soft power as hard power―has direct application to the challenges and opportunities for both national and transnational governance today. Altogether an achievement of brilliance, accessibility, and contemporary utility.”
–Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution and author of The Great Experiment

“The Ottoman Empire was one of the most successful and long-lasting examples of legitimate rule over a population characterized by extensive religious, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Karen Barkey convincingly argues that this achievement was due to the Ottomans’ ability to maintain openness and tolerance. She draws from a rich literature to argue her compelling case. In retelling the story of the Empire’s accomplishments and eventual demise, she greatly succeeds in introducing Ottoman history into the literatures in comparative history and historical sociology. The Ottoman case will now take its deserved place in the growing debate on empires. This book will be mandatory reading for any intelligent discussion on empire.”
–Çağlar Keyder, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Boğaziçi University

Book Description

This book is a comparative study of imperial organization and longevity in the Ottoman Empire.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0521715334
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press (June 23, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780521715331
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521715331
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 0.81 x 9.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Karen Barkey

Karen Barkey

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fariba Zarinebaf
5.0 out of 5 stars How to understand the evolution of empires?
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2021
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Da great book that provides a theoretical and comparative framework for the study of empires! I often use it as a text in my graduate seminars!
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ahmet goksun
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderfully imaginative look at the Ottoman history
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderfully imaginative look at the Ottoman history. Professor Barkey explains that what made Ottomans so successful was not their military might, or religious fervor, but just the opposite their flexibility, ability to adapt and build coalitions with people and cultures very different than their own.
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nayman
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever in the history of Ottoman Historiography
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2017
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this book is one of my favorites on ottoman history and it is easily readable even though you are not a history scholar.
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alex
1.0 out of 5 stars No footnotes in Kindle edition!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2011
Verified Purchase
Let me say first that the low rating is not for the book itself-- Karen Barkey is a brilliant scholar who presents this period in a unique and illuminating way-- but rather for the Kindle edition of this book. In the Kindle edition, there are no footnotes. The numbers are there but they are not hyperlinks as they are in other Kindle books I have read. Because this book is a serious academic text, the lack of footnotes renders the electronic version virtually useless. I would NOT recommend buying the Kindle version to students or really anyone who wants to gain a full understanding of this book. This really is a shame since the search function of the Kindle editions is often so helpful for students and academics. I am severely disappointed by the lack of footnotes in the Kindle version and I will most certainly not be using the Kindle store for future purchases of academic books.
14 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great sociological essay on the empire
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2010
Karen Barkey's book is most welcome because it rejuvenates sociological theories of empire.

She starts by proposing an "imperial model" (Part I of the book). Here, she uses a social network perspective and suggests that empires "broker" local networks and political units (such as nations etc); this "brokerage" is sustained via a number of institutions from the imperial center that exert indirect rule on the periphery. A counterintuitive conclusion is that empire fosters diversity and shelters difference, much more so than other political regimes (think about how nation-states try to erase religious or ethnic differences).

Then she delves into the transformation of the Ottoman Empire into a Nation-State (Part II). This, in itself, is highly informative. While I am not an expert on the Ottoman Empire, she obviously masters the topic. The empirical material is very well-exposed and confirms the theories exposed in the first part of the book.

The book received two awards in 2009, and rightly so:

The "J. David Greenstone Award" of the Politics and History Section, American Political Science Association

The "Barrington Moore Book Award" of the Comparative and Historical Sociology Section, American Sociological Association (co-winner)

The key takeaway of the book is, for me, as a sociologist, that "empire" is not necessarily something that should be discarded on ideological grounds, rather studied scientifically.

This is a must read for sociologists, political scientists, and historians who are interested in empires and do not fear to reconsider their presuppositions.
15 people found this helpful
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Dennis J. Lendon
3.0 out of 5 stars Comparative History - Ottoman Empire
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2009
My speciality is Ancient Persian History. So I purchased this book to see if I could use it to decrease the Orientalism that surrounds Achaemenid Studies. It is indeed a useful ally for such a purpose. A modern example by which the anti-Achaemenid reputation can be further demolished.
3 people found this helpful
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JD Hammer
1.0 out of 5 stars diarrhea of the brain
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2009
This book is absolutely abysmal. Karen Barkey's mind is over-flowing with BS. She spends about half the book talking about what she will eventually talk about. When she actually provides an interesting fact or piece of analysis, she does so with a massive run on sentence that last roughly half a page. Karen Barkey worships the ground the Ottomans spat upon. She is a petty author.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Phillip Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good. Just what I needed. Arrived in good time and as described.
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