The volume aims to explore Ottoman political thought, seeking answers to questions such as: Did Ottoman political thinkers propose reforms before they were adopted by decision-making centers, or did they feel that developments they disagreed with were beyond their control?

What was the relationship between ideological currents oriented towards religion and similarly oriented reforms in the taxation and land tenure systems? What was the relationship between European (and/or Iranian) thought and Ottoman political developments, mediated through immigrants or converts?

Was there innovative political thinking that led to the radical reforms of the Tanzimat era? Furthermore, the volume attempts to investigate the relationship between political ideas and political action of their time: in other words, to examine the nature of political power at various stages of the empire's evolution, the developments that led specific groups to promote particular reforms, the power networks at the administrative and political level, the reception of political reforms in the capital and provinces, the involvement of various political actors in state policy formulation and its legitimation, and so forth.