This work focuses on the historical trajectory of Levantine communities, who occupied a distinct position within the multilayered social fabric of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century. Ufuk Özesmer provides a detailed analysis of the roles and identity constructions of Levantines in Ottoman urban life, with a particular focus on the cases of İzmir and Istanbul, through the travelogues of British travelers. The study interrogates the unique sociocultural position of the Levantines—coded a ...