West and Central Asia have for centuries contributed to shaping the identity of Europe by constituting a significant other. This work aims to explore the diverse facets of this contribution, looking at social, cultural and political areas of heritage and cross-cultural interaction. The region itself may be defined as one that stretches from the Mediterranean to China, and from the Himalayas to Siberia but for the purposes of this study a close focus is made on Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Specialists on the region here adopt a multidisciplinary approach to the subject and their contributions include Peter Sluglett on The Urban Bourgeoisie and the Colonial State; Roberta Micallef on Turkish Women; Berna Turam on The Secular State and Revivalist Islam; Emma Jorum on Syrian State Politics; and Annika Rabo and Bo Utas on The Role of the State in West Asia.