In The Wahhabis seen through European Eyes (1772-1830) Giovanni Bonacina offers an account of the early reactions in Europe to the rise of the Wahhabi movement in Arabia. Commonly pictured nowadays as a form of Muslim fundamentalism, the Wahhabis appeared to many European witnesses as the creators of a deistic revolution with serious political consequences for the Ottoman ancien regime. They were seen either in the light of contemporary events in France, or as Islamic theological reformers in the mould of Calvin, opposing an established church and devotional traditions. These audacious...

Johann Michael Wansleben’s Travels in Turkey, 1673–1676 is a hitherto unpublished version of a remarkable description of Istanbul, Izmir, and Bursa by the German scholar traveller Wansleben. Wansleben was in the Ottoman Empire to buy manuscripts, statuary, and curios for the French king, but it is his off-hand observations about Ottoman society that often make Wansleben’s account such a valuable historical source. His experiences add to our knowledge of such diverse topics as prostitution in the Ottoman Empire, taxation, and the French consular system. His visit to Bursa is also...

Cet ouvrage offre une analyse approfondie de l’œuvre pionnière consacrée par Louis Massignon (1883-1962) à la mystique musulmane. Il interroge sa vision de la réalité étudiée et en vient à énoncer la question de la subjectivité en sciences des religions. This book offers an in-depth analysis of the pioneering work devoted by Louis Massignon (1883-1962) to Muslim mysticism. It questions his vision of the reality he studied and opens up the question of subjectivity in the study of religion.