"Turkey is not approaching Europe for the first time. Turkey is not experiencing an adventure with Europe for the first time. Turkey's nine-hundred-year history is inextricably tied to Europe; let no one forget this," asserts İlber Ortaylı. In Europe and the Turks: A Shared Destiny, the renowned historian challenges the prevailing narrow focus on economic and political integration, urging a deeper exploration of the cultural dimensions that truly define the relationship between Turkey and the West.

Ortaylı argues that while the European Union is frequently debated in terms of economic prosperity, free labor movement, and human rights, the most significant question—cultural harmony—is often avoided by both the governing and the governed. He highlights the irony of mutual ignorance: a modern Europe that frequently forgets its own deep "orientalist heritage" and a Turkey that struggles to articulate its historical place within the European fold. Through a comparative lens, he critiques the tendency of both sides to remain strangers despite centuries of shared geography and history.

Taking the reader on a sweeping political, social, and cultural journey, Ortaylı breaks long-standing taboos and disrupts "indisputable truths." He invites us to confront the realities of our shared past and future without exaggeration, distortion, or concealment. Masterfully written in his signature engaging style, this work is a powerful call to recognize that the destiny of the Turks has been, and will continue to be, intertwined with that of Europe.