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.
10/20/2016 Eileen Kane, Connecticut College, on “Writing Russian History into Ottoman History (and Vice Versa)”
Eileen Kane teaches modern European and Russian history at Connecticut College. Her first book, Russian Hajj: Empire and the Pilgrimage to Mecca (Cornell, 2015) tells the story of how Russia, a Christian power, came to sponsor the hajj, a central Muslim ritual. Her current research looks at Russia’s role in the making of the modern Middle East, through a focus on migration.
