Turkey: A Short History
By Norman Stone
London: Thames & Hudson, 2010, 191 pages, ISBN 9780500251751
The Ottoman Crimean (War 1853-1856)
By CandanBadem,
Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2010, 432 pages, ISBN 978900418205-9
Orienting Istanbul: Cultural Capital of Europe
Edited by DenizGöktürk, LeventSoysal, İpekTüreli
London and New York: Routledge, 2010,326 pages, ISBN 9780415580113
Turkey’s role in the contemporary world continues to be a subject of intense debate, especially at a time when its economic performance surpasses that of several states within the European Union. In the light of recent developments, with the United Kingdom vetoing a rescue plan approved by the other twenty-six EU countries and therefore facing a future on Europe’s periphery, Turkey can now negotiate from a position of strength, secure in the knowledge that it is no longer Europe’s sole outsider, perpetually confined to its economic and political margins.
The three books surveyed here address the subject of Turkey’s relationship to Europe and the west from different perspectives: Norman Stone is a European history specialist, CandanBadem holds a PhD in Ottoman history, while the editors of Orienting Istanbul originate from film and media studies and history of art departments. Each book offers a fascinating insight into Turkey’s past, and how it has shaped the country’s present and future.
