Based on archival research, Bülent Özdemir’s Ottoman Reforms and Social Life is a case study of how the Tanzimat (‘reorganisation’) reforms were applied to the multi-ethnic Ottoman city of Salonica. Besides offering new insights into nineteenth century Salonica, Özdemir’s work also contributes to the greater literature on the reform and modernisation process occurred in the Ottoman Empire. Özdemir’s approach, which differs from the traditional view, is that the Ottoman administration began the reforms after having observed the social and economic changes occurring in the Ottoman Empire. This diverges from the common belief that the reforms were solely behind change. Özdemir also challenges the notion that Ottoman society remained rigid until the Tanzimat reforms of the nineteenth century. Instead, he argues that reform was something inherent to the Ottoman Empire rather than the simple importation of outside ideas.