In the 19th century, Ottoman identity was created to include different ethnic and religious groups within imperial society without discrimination. This identity along with a parallel policy of laicisation allowed the creation of an elite that was loyal to the throne, and which stood in contrast to the nationalist forces favoured by European powers. On the other hand, with the term Neo-Ottomanism, nowadays we mean a political ideology that promoted a greater Turkish political engagement within all the regions that were formerly under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. This paper aims to highlight the differences between the 19th-centu ry conception of Ottomanism and the 20th-21st-century idea of Neo-Ottomanism, underscor ing the bias and fundamental inaccuracy in juxtaposing these two doctrines