How did the French perception of the Safavid Empire shape early modern European diplomatic and cultural identity? Susan Marie Mokhberi, a scholar of early modern history, examines the intersection of French political interests and the construction of Persian identity in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By analyzing a wide array of travelogues, diplomatic correspondence, and cultural artifacts, the author argues that the French utilized the Safavid Empire as a mirror to reflect and refine their own notions of sovereignty, religion, and social order.

Historians and scholars of early modern diplomacy identify this work as a significant contribution to the study of cross-cultural representation and the development of the 'Orientalist' gaze. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is well-suited for researchers interested in the intersection of political history and cultural studies.