Metin Coşgel and Boğaç Ergene. The Economics of Ottoman Justice: Settlement and Trial in the Sharia Courts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016, xv+346 pages.

Abstract

In the conclusion to the book, Abbas rakes together all the chapters' general claims to argue that, while Turkey has undergone a rapid transformation over the last two decades, there is much that is still unfolding at the present. The rise of one-man authoritarianism has been feeding off of ethnoreligious policies and discourses and instrumentalizing both old and new enemies within the state. At the very end of the book, the author briefly mentions the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016 and how it was subsequently instrumentalized in order to increase sociopolitical pressure on all opposition groups. Although, given Abbas' observations of daily life and social relations from the micro to the macro level through the lens of the social sciences, it is rather difficult to be optimistic about the future of democracy in the so-called "New Turkey," he nonetheless ends his book on a positive note, emphasizing how it is the people and not the politicians who make history. As such, he argues that the Turkish people will carry their own country toward brighter days. In this regard, and leaving aside the author's sometimes excessive optimism and his repetitions of the previous literature, overall Abbas' study is a remarkable opus for an understanding of contemporary Turkey in terms of state-society relations. What makes it remarkable in spite of the stated flaws is that, first of all, it offers a general and clear picture of the AKP period, which is a very complicated one difficult to comprehend in one study. Secondly, Abbas proceeds by means of a solid multidisciplinary approach combining sociological, political science, and sociohistorical points of views, making the book quite multidimensional overall. And lastly, the book is exceedingly well written, very readable, and lucid.