Biography of an Empire: Governing Ottomans in an Age of Revolution

(University of California Press) This book examines the Ottoman Empire in the early nineteenth century by following the life of Stephanos Vogorides. Vogorides was a member of the phanariots, Christian elites institutionally excluded from power but bound up in the Ottoman government. Philliou traces Vogorides’ life, and, by doing so, provides a unique view of Ottoman power and legacies in the Middle East and Balkans today. Philliou is an assistant professor of history at Columbia University.

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PAW's October 2026 cover, featuring a photo of a loaf of challah bread and the headline "The Braids That Bind."
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October 2026

Holding on to Jewish life; Katy Anderson Keating ’08’s career in wine; Hollywood loves Princeton.