acknowledgments ix
Dissidence in Muslim Communities,” at the University of California, Irvine,
convened by Nayan Shah; and the questions and comments of audiences at Tu-
lane University, the University of Washington, the American Research Institute
in Turkey, the Orient-Institut der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft
and Bilgi University in Istanbul, the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece,
and the Free University in Berlin gave crucial feedback as the argument of the
book was developing. Gottfried Hagen, Selim Deringil, Tony Greenwood, Heath
Lowry, Victor Ostapchuk, George Bernstein, James Boyden, Jane Hathaway,
and Rıfat Bali commented on versions of the argument. Robert Dankoff and
Sara Yıldız provided indispensable aid deciphering key passages of Ottoman
texts. James Given (Latin), Richard Wittman (German), and Michelle Campos
(Arabic) generously provided their linguistic knowledge. Çiçek Öztek prepared
several of the miniatures, and Johann Büssow facilitated archival matters in
Berlin. I am very thankful to Michelle Molina, Anne Walthall, Caroline Finkel,
and Esra Özyürek, plus the two anonymous readers at Oxford University Press
for critically engaging with the text and giving substantial suggestions for revi-
sion. Their crucial intervention shaped the book immeasurably. I appreciate
the labor of my enthusiastic and responsive editor at Oxford University Press,
Cynthia Read, and my friend and colleague Eliza Kent for recommending her
to me and vice versa.
I would never have had the desire to be a historian nor had curiosity aboutreligion had it not been for my parents, Barry and Sue Baer, who instilled in
me a sense of curiosity about other cultures, languages, and places, gave me
the greatest gift of raising me in diverse environments in far-fl ung corners of
the globe, and made studious role models. My brother, Steve, taught me not to
take myself too seriously. The generous assistance of my grandmother Bernice
Wolf Braun enabled me to begin my pursuit of graduate studies. Earlier, her
keen interest in my youthful observations of European society, in the form of
letters I wrote her from Germany, encouraged my initial interest in history and
history writing. My grandfather Harvey Baer respected me enough to argue
with me about the interpretation of history. Sünter and Mustafa Özyürek took
me into their family, removed every obstacle in my path in Istanbul, and shared
in my excitement in learning Turkish and uncovering the most surprising as-
pects of the Ottoman past.
What an amazing journey it has been. From graduate school in Ann Arborand Chicago, to research in Istanbul, from teaching in California, to launching
the latest research projects in Berlin, for over a dozen years my partner, Esra
Özyürek, and I have pursued knowledge together. She has always pushed me
to stretch beyond my expected limits, to never be satisfi ed with conventions or
conventional wisdom. She is as ever one step ahead of me, always inspiring,