Ruler Visibility and Popular Belonging in the Ottoman Empire, 1808-1908

The book provides fresh avenues to appreciate the evolution of social solidarity within the diverse Ottoman world. [...]Those interested in the formation of ethnonational consciousness in the Ottoman successor states (Bulgaria in particular), will profit from this original study. -- Lucien Frary * Ab Imperio *
This original study provides much food for thought on the ‘unintended consequences’ of a variety of ethno-nationalisms, including the ubiquitous personality cult within and outside the Ottoman/post-Ottoman orbit. Thus, this book will interest readers who are concerned about the growing prevalence of ethno-nationalism in the post-Cold War world and who hope to devise countervailing solutions before it is too late. * Suraiya Faroqhi, Ibn Haldun University *
[...] the book constitutes an important contribution to the study of Ottoman and Balkan modernity. Stephanov has convincingly illustrated that the evolution of ruler visibility policies and royal ceremonies was a barometer of sociopolitical and sociocultural change in the late Ottoman Empire. -- Andreas Lyberatos * Turkish Historical Review *
Stephanov makes a very convincing case for the importance of monarchical institutions in bridging late imperial and early national contexts through the application of a highly original approach to the study of the Ottoman dynasty. -- Arlen Wiesenthal, University of Chicago * Kadim *