Turkey in the 21st Century: Quest for a New Foreign Policy

Abstract

Berke Torunoğlu’s book Murder in Salonika, 1876: A Tale of Apostasy and International Crisis examines a seemingly obscure event—the murder of French and German consuls in Ottoman-controlled Salonika in 1876—to shed light on broader historical themes. The central argument revolves around how a young Bulgarian girl’s attempted conversion from Christianity to Islam triggered a violent international crisis, exposing tensions between the Ottoman Empire and European powers. Torunoğlu uses this micro-historical narrative to explore macro-level dynamics, including religious relations in the Ottoman Empire, the impact of Tanzimat reforms, and the geopolitical maneuvering of the Great Powers. The reviewer praises the book for its engaging narrative style, which effectively draws readers into a complex historical episode while illuminating larger historical questions. The first chapter is commended for providing necessary contextual background on 19th-century European and Ottoman history, particularly the Tanzimat reforms and conversion practices in Islam. However, specialists might have appreciated deeper explanations of certain topics, such as Janissary insurrections or Bismarck’s role in international politics.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)