Ways to Modernity in Greece and Turkey

Book excerpt: This is a clear and original examination of the impact of modernity on Greece and Turkey, and the influence of the West on these former states of the Ottoman Empire during the crucial hundred years between 1850 and 1950. "Ways to Modernity in Greece and Turkey" explores the reactions and coping mechanisms displayed in both societies in reaction to Europe's all-pervasive influence. Elites in both societies engaged in defensive modernization, culminating in parallel attempts to mould their nations in line with the western blueprint. The authors examine reforms in the legal regime, the changing nature of family and gender relations, and re-engineered conceptions of space and the built environment. They describe and analyse different aspects of the changes in the two societies over this period, as they defined their practices and identities against Europe, and often against each other.