From its inception, this seminar adopted an interdisciplinary approach to Turkic studies, and its members represent many fields. At the same time, their interests span more than twelve centuries. In most years, the program covers a selection of topics reflecting current research of members. Special anniversaries such as the Atatürk centennial (1981–1982), the sixtieth anniversary of the Turkish Republic (1983–1984), and the traveling exhibition, The Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1987–1988), however, have provided themes around which all papers or a series of papers have been centered. Discussion on papers presented—no matter what their topic—has shown that dialogue between, for example, political scientist and art historian, medievalist and modernist, can be both stimulating and productive.
01/26/2017 Chris Gratien, Harvard Academy, on “Malaria and Settlement in the Late Ottoman Mediterranean: Towards a Political Ecology of the Late Ottoman Empire”
Chris Gratien is Assistant Professor of History at University of Virginia and currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. His research examines the social and environmental history of the modern Middle East, and he is co-creator and producer of the internet radio program Ottoman History Podcast.
