"The main argument of Science among the Ottomans is actually quite simple—there was such a thing as ‘Ottoman Science.’ This statement entails a major task. In order to establish the historicality of Ottoman science, one must differentiate it from Western science and discuss it on its own terms. This requires a discussion on the broader aspects of the history of science as a field and a discussion of the concept of ‘science’ itself. In addition, one should engage the question of non-western scientific traditions and, above all, present and discuss the subject of Islamic science and its history. Shefer-Mossensohn does all the above, and more, admirably."
— Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, Professor of History, Middle Eastern, and Islamic Studies, New York University; author of The Ten Lost Tribes: A World History and The Dao of Muhammad: A Cultural History of Muslims in Late Imperial China; and editor of Modern Middle Eastern Jewish Thought: Writings on Identity, Politics, and Culture 1893–1958
"Science among the Ottomans will fill what has been a major lacuna in the history of science—namely, the lack of a comprehensive study of the role of science and learning in Ottoman culture. Science among the Ottomans is not just a significant contribution to the field but a major and unique one. No other study has attempted to place scientific learning during the Ottoman period within the wider cultural frame. Miri Shefer-Mossensohn reflects the best of the current trends in modern historiography, applying them to the sphere of Ottoman scientific and technological activity. The conclusions drawn are significant."
— Emilie Savage-Smith, Emeritus Professor of the History of Islamic Science, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford; editor of Magic and Divination in Early Islam and The Year 1000: Medical Practice at the End of the First Millennium; and coauthor of Medieval Islamic Medicine, Science, Tools and Magic Parts I and II, and An Eleventh-Century Egyptian Guide to the Universe: The Book of Curiosities
"Timely...Shefer-Mossensohn consistently avoids the emphasis on technical development that long characterized the literature on science in Islamic contexts, limiting its readership to specialists...Science among the Ottomans opens an important conversation."
— H-Net Reviews
"By offering us a new synthesis that represents the current state of the field, Shefer-Mossensohn’s book addresses the perennial question of what happened to Islamic science and medicine after the Middle Ages. It offers a starting point for further discussions."
— Early Science & Medicine
"Science among the Ottomans is a remarkable achievement…Shefer-Mossensohn has produced a landmark study with which many of us will train the next generation of historians of science."
— Turkish Historical Review