Ottoman Empire BY ERIC R DURSTELER INTRODUCTION The field of Ottoman history has experienced dramatic growth since the 1980s. The traditional politically centered narrative inherited from 19th-century scholars, which emphasized Ottoman origins in the 14th century, the golden age of Suleiman, and decline beginning in the 17th century, has been supplanted by a picture that underlines Ottoman adaptation and ongoing viability well beyond 1600 in political, economic, military, and institutional arenas. Additionally, scholars have increasingly engaged a wide range of questions related to the social structures and functioning of the empire, the connection of art and architecture to imperial power, the standing of religious minorities in an Islamic state, and the status (including the roles, rights, and influence) of both women and men in Ottoman society. GENERAL OVERVIEWS There are now numerous surveys of Ottoman history, though no single one provides comprehensive coverage of the empire’s long, rich history. Uzunçarşılı 1947–1962 is the essential Turkish survey of Ottoman history, from its beginning to the reign of Selim III. Imber 2002 focuses on law and bureaucracy, to the exclusion of society, economy, and religion, while İnalcık and Quataert 1994 gives particular attention to social and economic history. Finkel 2006 is more narrative in its treatment, as is the now dated Hammer-Purgstall 1835–1843 , which goes into fascinating, exhaustive detail, primarily on the empire’s political and military history. Peirce 2004 provides a nice summary of recent Ottoman historiography, and Faroqhi 1999 is an essential introduction for researchers. Faroqhi, Suraiya N. Approaching Ottoman History: An Introduction to the Sources . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999. An essential introduction to the study of Ottoman history by a premier scholar in the field. Examines primary and secondary sources, general histories, and Ottoman historical works, and addresses the most important historiographical debates and questions. Finkel, Caroline. Osman’s Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire, 1300–1923. New York: Basic Books, 2006. An accessible, well-researched introduction to and overview of Ottoman history from its beginnings to the creation of the Turkish Republic. More narrative in character than İnalcık