"As a careful observer of modern Turkish history and domestic politics, Christine Philliou skillfully addresses the emergence and transformation of the muhalefet concept in the late Ottoman and early republican decades. Enriched with Refik Halid Karay's relevant writings, Phillou's research takes readers on a well-designed journey from the 1880s to the 1960s through an objective, socio-cultural prism. A Past Against History is recommended for readers and researchers on late Ottoman and early republican era politics and cultural studies."
-- "Insight Turkey"
"Historiographically challenging and imaginative...a welcome addition to the field of late Ottoman and early Turkish Republican history."-- "New Perspectives on Turkey"
"Past against History will be a much needed addition to all syllabi on Turkish and Middle Eastern studies, as well as on courses on nationalism and democracy in a global context. It should be an essential reading especially for graduate level classes because Philliou's masterful account encapsulates the best example of microhistory that can help the readers to rethink about all the major scholarly themes and topics in the historiography on Ottoman and Turkish studies."-- "Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association"

"[Philliou's] work successfully brings to life one of the most colorful muhalifler and shows his evolution from a broader perspective."

-- "Middle East Journal"
"Through her graceful prose, Philliou provides an insight into Karay's humanity. . . . We should be grateful to Christine Phillou for allowing us to engage with the ideas of one of the most interesting personalities of Ottoman/Turkish letters."-- "Turkish Studies"
"In this biography, Philliou offers a subtle and revealing history of the meaning of opposition."-- "Foreign Affairs"