The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state encompassing most of the modern Middle East, and for much of its 600-year existence it managed to rule effectively its diverse peoples. The essays of this work move beyond the traditional state- and community-centered approaches and instead seek to explore the unknown terrain that falls between the internal life of the community and the formal structures of the state. Contributors include Najwa Al-Qattan, Fatma Müge Göçek, Socrates D. Petmezas and Aron Rodrigue.