Kasaba (International Studies, University of Washington) examines the history of the Ottoman Empire by focusing on the migrant groups that lived within its bounds and on the changing relationship of these groups to the central authorities. The author argues that the need to accommodate nomadic groups helped shape Ottoman institutions, and that these flexible relationships became a liability as the empire attempted to modernize in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Some readers may notice parallels between the methods used by the Ottoman state to settle and break up nomadic groups and those used by the U.S. government to assimilate Native American tribes.) Scholarly and accessible, Kasaba's book is an important addition to contemporary scholarship on the Ottoman Empire. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)