For several decades historians of science have interrogated the relationship between empire and science, largely focusing on European imperial powers. At the same time, scholars have sought alternatives to an early diffusionist model of the spread of modern science, seeking to capture the multi-directional and dialogic development of science and its institutions in most parts of the globe. The papers in this special issue illuminate these questions with added attention to particular claims about the exceptionalism – or not – of Islamic societies’ approach to science, modernity and politics. Each contribution centres individuals and groups who engaged with science theoretically or practically, taking seriously their analytical categories and how they understood and grappled with the social, economic and intellectual transformations happening around them. Collectively, these studies make the case for Middle Eastern and Ottoman history as useful sites for furthering our field's understanding of processes of the globalization of science and how authority, politics and science have been and continue to be interconnected.

几十年来，科学史学家一直在质疑帝国与科学之间的关系，主要集中在欧洲的帝国权力上。与此同时，学者们也在寻找现代科学传播的早期传播主义模型的替代方案，力图捕捉全球大部分地区科学及其机构的多向和对话发展。本期特刊中的论文阐明了这些问题，并特别关注伊斯兰社会对待科学、现代性和政治的方法的特殊性——或不特殊性——的特殊主张。每个贡献都集中在理论上或实践上从事科学的个人和团体，认真对待他们的分析类别以及他们如何理解和应对社会，他们周围发生的经济和知识变革。总的来说，这些研究证明了中东和奥斯曼帝国的历史是有用的场所，可以加深我们领域对科学全球化进程的理解，以及权威、政治和科学是如何相互联系并将继续相互联系的。