In this collective book, the authors attempt readings of the Balkan and Middle Eastern region from the perspectives of history, anthropology, political science, international relations, and sociology, with a focus on the critique of "Orientalism" (Edward Said, 1978) but also beyond it. These scientifically and sometimes ideologically different approaches aim to establish a common field of interdisciplinary dialogue in Greece for the study of the Balkans, Turkey, and the Middle East.

The texts included are:
- Abdulrahman Al Salimi, "Orientalism in the relations between Islam and the West"
- Sia Anagnostopoulou, "The complexities of Greek and Turkish nationalism in their Cypriot version"
- Hasan Badawi, "Forms of Arabic Islam"
- Yaser I. A. Ellethy, "Arabic language, Eastern and Islamic studies"
- Eleni Gara, "Ottoman social history: reflection and research trends"
- Dimitris Kairidis, "Greece, the Middle East, international relations, and the political science of knowledge"
- Fokion Kotzageorgis, "Modern Greek and Ottoman history in Greek historiography"
- George Mavrommatis, "Regarding the Bektashi dervishes or seeking conditions for a different reading of Islam in the Balkans"
- Hercules Millas, "Communicating with the 'Other' or understanding the 'Self': Greeks and Turks"
- Meric Ozgunes, "Human rights and civil society in the context of Turkey's accession process to the European Union"
- Dimitris Stamopoulos, "Orientalism and Empire"
- Fotini Tsibiridou, "Orientalism and the politics of anthropology in the Middle East"
- Stefan Weidner, "On 'hard' and 'flexible' interpretations of Islam"
- Angeliki Ziaka, "Conflict in the depths of Islam: the dynamics of Shiite Islam in the Middle East"