Milena Methodieva's Between Empire and Nation is a compelling new study of Muslim life in Bulgaria in the immediate post-Ottoman decades. The book's focus is the reform movement that arose among Muslim elites in response to developments within the newly formed Bulgarian principality after 1878. But the book goes way beyond the reform movement to offer one of the richest historical portraits of the Bulgaria from 1878–1908 in the English language. Methodieva accomplishes this by weaving together a dense web of archival and published material in Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish, and Russian, also drawing upon a rich secondary literature that has emerged over the last two decades.

Indeed, one of the book's greatest strengths is its rich contextualization; its portrayal of Muslim life situated in a world of dramatic urban change, transformations in agriculture and trade, contentious Bulgarian parliamentary politics, and regional dynamics. The reader is provided with a detailed explanation of challenges for post-Ottoman Muslims and their institutions in Bulgaria—the newly formed Muftiship, Muslim schools, and vakuf (endowed) properties. Methodieva also provides useful comparisons of Bulgarian Muslims to their co-religionists in other Balkan states and explores interesting connections with reformist Muslims in the Russian Empire. Perhaps most importantly, she offers an excellent overview and analysis of the complex relationships of these populations to Bulgarian and Ottoman authorities. We learn how a range of developments within Bulgaria and the rest of the Ottoman empire had a direct impact on Muslim life. Methodieva deftly explains the tenuous position of Muslims within the newly autonomous Bulgarian principality and Eastern Rumelia, which was merged under de facto Bulgarian rule after 1885. She convincingly argues that the uncertainties of life after empire, as well as modernity writ large, became a catalyst for reform initiatives.

Having laid the ground work, the second half of the book is devoted to Muslim reformers themselves—their ideas and initiatives. We learn that Muslim reformers (who are largely Turkish-speakers) are laser focused on modernized, secularized education as a way out of ignorance and darkness—and a way to carve a place for their “community” in the new Bulgarian principality. The book gives voice, primarily through the Muslim press, but also memoirs, to key players in the movement. It also outlines some of the movement's successes, including school reform, the creation of a lively press, and the establishment of kiraathane (reading rooms). There is also a short but enlightening section on the role of women within Muslim reformist thought, and to some extent their place in the community. While the focus of the book is on (Sunni) Turkish-speaking Muslims, there is some fascinating detail on Pomaks, Tatars, and Roma, as well as Alevi. What emerges is a picture of Muslim diversity within Bulgaria—in terms of mother tongue, religious practice, political/religious orientation, but also receptiveness to reform.

This varied picture, however, complicates some of the conclusions of this otherwise amazing book. The author insists in multiple places that the reform movement was not a narrow “elitist” movement with limited impact, and yet we also learn that this was not a “mass movement.” The many outcomes of the movement's efforts are explained, but a broader sense of the scope of the work—but also its failures—could be better explained. As the book describes, after the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 and the Bulgarian declaration of independence in the same year, most of the reformist leaders described left Bulgaria. There is only a cursory discussion of the aftermath of 1908 in the conclusion. The reader is left wanting more in terms of understanding the scope of the impact at the time as well as the lineage of later reformers. This, I assume, will be in Methodieva's next book, but perhaps more is needed to anchor the arguments of this one.

I would also raise a question about Methodieva's larger argument that in this period Muslims underwent a “transition into a distinct community” with “nascent Turkish nationalist” tendencies. Such claims beg more explanation. As noted above, Muslims were a diverse and divided population. If reformist individuals or groups purported to speak for all Muslims, this was certainly more aspirational than real. Furthermore, the terms used by reformers in this regard beg scrutiny. In a chapter on identity and belonging, Methodieva carefully outlines how the frequent use of the term vatan (homeland) was complex—was it the Ottoman empire or Bulgaria that they had in mind? But her analysis of the use of the term millet seems less rigorous. Millet historically meant religious community within the Ottoman empire, but eventually came to mean “nation” in modern Turkish. Can we assume that the use of millet by reformers was synonymous with nation or Turkishness? If so, what did this mean for the Tatars, Pomaks, and non-Turkish speakers in this newly defined “community”? She hints at these ambiguities, but her conclusions seem to make assumptions that are less than clear in the sources.

None of this detracts from the value of this book for our understanding of the early post-Ottoman decades in the Balkans. Indeed, this book should be required reading for scholars of the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans. It raises important questions and offers a dazzling case study that helps us understand the aftermath of empire, Muslim responses to modernity, and Christian-Muslim encounters. All and all the book is a remarkable achievement by a young scholar who has set a new standard for nineteenth and early twentieth century Balkan history.