Reviews 'Accidental Orientalists offers fascinating material and a compelling discussion.' Dr Giorgia Alù, University of Sydney 'Barbara Spackman’s brilliantly argued and meticulously researched work engages its reader in a complex questioning of how some of the most basic structures that support a sense of collective or individual identity have been negotiated, appropriated and performed [...] The historical range and conceptual ... Read moredepth of Accidental Orientalists are such that it will prove essential reading for anyone who wishes to delve into the dynamics of transcultural exchange during a period of relentless social and political change.' Charles Burdett, Bristol University ‘Barbara Spackman’s Accidental Orientalists offers a fascinating reading of texts by nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italian (but also European) travellers to the Ottoman lands…Spackman’s book is well-researched, theoretically grounded and develops an intriguing picture of Orientalism that highlights its multiplicities and contradictions, while addressing the lability of modern and contemporary Italian identity through the lens of transnationalism. As such, Accidental Orientalists is an important read for scholars and students of Italian studies, and mobility and postcolonial studies.’ Fabrizio De Donno, Journal of Modern Italian Studies ‘Stylishly written, this close study provides a fascinating exploration of personal trajectories that challenge standard categories and conceptions of the autonomous individual as well as national types and social hierarchies.’ Anthony Gorman, Italian American Review Show Less