ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Professor of Middle East History, Department of History and American Studies, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA. 2004-present.
Service: Fulbright Program Advisor and Reviewer, Co-founded Middle East Studies Certificate, Faculty Senator, USIP reviewer, Established Ottoman Istanbul summer course, General Education Committee Member.
Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC. 2007-2008.
Researched ethnic conflict and population displacement in Iraq and the Middle East since 2003.
Visiting Lecturer, Department of History, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul, Turkey. 2007.
Taught introductory course in Ottoman History to Turkish and American students with UMW Istanbul summer course.
Visiting Lecturer, Department of History, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA. 2003-2004.
Service: Faculty speaking series lecture, Arab-Israeli conflict debate co-organizer, church and community lectures, Islamic World visiting faculty grant application assistant, Turkish Studies library support grant applicant.
Research Assistant, Ottoman Socio-Economic History for Professor Dina Khoury, Başbakanlık Archives, Istanbul. 1999.
Researched, evaluated, and collected archival records from 16-18th century imperial registers (Mühimme Defterleri).
Arabic Assistant Bibliographer, Joseph Regenstein Library, University of Chicago. 1998.
Conducted acquisition searches, catalogued Arabic serials, and organized microfilm collections.
Program Tutor, University of Chicago Center for Middle East Studies (CMES) Summer Arabic Program. 1998.
Research Assistant, Ottoman History for Professor Cornell Fleischer, University of Chicago. 1994.
Teaching Assistant, “Policy Analyis for International Affairs” course, Columbia University, SIPA. 1990.
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EDUCATION
Ph.D, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 2004, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Dissertation Title: “Şehzade Korkud (ca. 1468-1513) and the Articulation of 16th Century Ottoman Religious Identity”
M.A., Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 1996, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Thesis Title: “Philology of al-Jahiz’s (d. 869) Prose Works”
Fields of Study and Directors:
Ottoman Language and Literature Robert Dankoff
Ottoman History Cornell Fleischer
Islamic History and Classical Arabic Literature Wadad Kadi
Intermediate, Advanced Turkish Language & Literature Certificates, 1994, 1995, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
ARIT Summer Turkish Language Immersion Program, Intermediate and Advanced.
Advance Arabic Language Cert., 1991, Center for Arabic Studies Abroad, American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt.
M.I.A., 1990, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Specializations: Economic and Political Development, International Policy Analysis and Management.
B.S.F.S., 1988, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, (SFS), Washington, DC.
Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS), 1988. Major: Development Economics. Minor: Arab Studies.
Year Abroad Student, 1986-87, AUC, Egypt. Concentrations: Middle East Area Studies, Economics.
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PUBLICATIONS
Op-Ed Submissions: Washington Times,Richmond Times-Dispatch, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star.
[in preparation]: Every Soul Tastes Death: Şehzade Korkud (ca. 1468-1513) and the Struggle over Early Modern Ottoman Religious Identity.
[submitted] “Prince with Daddy Issues Seeks Sisterly Support: Two Ego Documents Penned by Şehzade Korkud (d. 1513),” Conference Proceedings, Osmanlı Literatüründe Ben-Anlatıları / Ottoman Ego-Documents, İstanbul Medeniyet Üniversitesi, Istanbul, 2022.
[submitted]: “A Transliteration and Translation of Ferīdūn Beg’s Münşe’āt Correspondence Between Yavuz Selim and Şehzāde Korkud,” Conference Proceedings, The Symposium on Yavuz Sultan Selim and his Era, Istanbul, 2021.
Peer-Reviewed Publications:
2020: “A Contrarian Voice: Şehzade Korkud’s Engagement with Communal Kalām in the Articulation of Ottoman Sunnism.” In Tijana Krstić and Derin Terzioğlu, eds., Historicizing Sunni Islam in the Ottoman Empire, c. 1450- c. 1750. Islamic History and Civilization Series #177. Leiden: E.J. Brill, pp. 62-100.
2016: “Ibn-i Kemal’s Confessionalism and the Construction of an “Ottoman Islam.” In Living in the Ottoman Realm: Sultans, Subjects, and Elites. Eds. Christine Isom-Verhaaren and Kent F. Schull. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2016, pp. 95-107.
2015 [Laila McQuade, co-author]: “The Limits of Soft Power: Why Kurdish Nationalism Failed in the French Mandate of Syria.” In The First World War and its Aftermath: The Shaping of the Modern Middle East. Ed. T.G. Fraser. London: Gingko Library, 2015, pp. 255-272.
2013: “Hall ishkāl al-afkār: an Ottoman Royal’s Sharī‘a Argument for Imperial Control over Sea Ghāzī Plunder.” In La Frontière Méditerranéenne du 15e au 17e Siècle: Échanges Circulations et Affrontements / The 15th-17th Centuries Meditteranean Frontier: Exchanges, Circulations, and Confrontations. Eds. Bernard Heyberger and Albrecht Fuess, Turnhaut: Brepols, Collection études renaissantes, pp. 125-142.
2012: “Nasihatname-i Durust: ‘Measured Advice’ for Turkish Foreign Policy in Rapidly Changing World.” Bilgi / [Knowledge] 23 (Winter, 2011), pp. 86-124.
2010: “There Go the Neighborhoods: Policy Effects vis-à-vis Iraqi Forced Migration.” In Dispossession and Displacement: Forced Migration in the Middle East and North Africa. British Academy Occasional Paper 14, eds. Dawn Chatty and Bill Finlayson. Oxford: University Press, 2010.
2009: “War, State Collapse and the Predicament of Education in Iraq.” In Education and the Arab World: Political Projects, Struggles, and Geometries of Power, World Yearbook of Education 2010, eds. André E. Mazawi and Ronald G. Sultana. London: Routledge Press, 2009, pp. 350-360.
2009: “Was There an Iraq Before There Was an Iraq?” International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies 3:2 (2009), pp. 133-142.
2008: “Tikrit.” In Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World:1750 to the Present, ed. Peter N. Stearns. Oxford: University Press, 2008.
2007: “Ottoman Iraq.” The Journal of the Historical Society 7:2 (June 2007), pp. 201-211.
2007: “‘Stuff Happens’: A Brief Overview of the 2003 Destruction of Iraqi Manuscript Collections, Archives, and Libraries.” Library Trends 55:3 (Winter, 2007), pp. 730–745.
2005: “Kalam in the Service of State: Apostasy Rulings and the Defining of Ottoman Communal Identity.” In Legitimizing the Order: Ottoman Rhetoric of State Power, eds. Hakan T. Karateke and Maurus Reinkowski. Leiden: Brill, 2005, pp. 131-149.
2005: “The Hajj as Justifiable Self-Exile: Şehzade Korkud’s Wasīlat al-aḥbāb (915-916/1509-1510).” al-Masāq 17/1 (2005), pp. 125-146.
Conference Proceedings:
2020: “Reconstructing Korkud.” In Şehzade Korkut Kitabı. Eds. Muhammet Fatih Duman and Ahmet Ögke. Ankara: Türk Diyanet Vakfı Basımevi, 2020, pp. 3-22.
2017: “An Ottoman View of World History: Kātip Çelebi’s Takvīmü’t-tevārīẖ.” In International Kātip Çelebi Research Symposium Proceedings / Uluslararası Kātip Çelebi Araştırmaları Sempozyumu Bildirileri. Eds. Turan Gökçe, Mikail Acıpınar, İrfan Kokdaş, and Özer Küpeli. Izmir: İzmir Kātip Çelebi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2017, pp. 127-149.
2015 [Urs Göskin, co-author]: “The 1502-1504 Correspondence Between Şehzade Korkud and the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.” Mediterranea – ricerche storiche [Mediterranean – Historical Research] 12/34 (2015), pp. 409-434.
2014: “Advocating for Release: The al-Dārānī Appeal.” In Uluslararası Piri Reis ve Türk Denizcilik Tarihi Sempozyumu: Türk Denizcilik Tarihi Bildiriler / The International Piri Reis and Turkish Maritime History Symposium: Proceedingsof Turkish Maritime History. Eds. Mehmet Metin Hülagü et. al., Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu, vol. III, pp. 49-53.
2014 [E-Publication]: “Idrīs-i Bidlisī’s 1513 Treatise on Caliphal and Sultanic Protocols.” In New Trends in Ottoman Studies: Papers Presented at the 20th CIÉPO Symposium. Eds. Marinos Sariyannis et. al., Rethymno: University of Crete, pp. 741-756. [http://www.univie.ac.at/ciepo/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/2011/07/downloaded1.pdf].
2014: “Ties that Bind: Ottoman Sea Ghazis from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean.” Seapower, Technology, and Trade: Studies in Turkish Maritime History. Eds. Dejanirah Couto, Feza Günergün, and Maria Pia Pedani. Istanbul: Piri Reis University Publications and Denizler Kitabevi, pp. 17-28.
2001: “Şehzade Korkud (ca. 1468-1513).” In Pax Ottomana: Studies in Memoriam Prof. Nejat Göyünç (1925-2001), Turquoise Series 7, ed. Kemal Çiçek. Haarlem, Ankara: SOTA, 2001, pp. 659-674.
MERIP Issue Development Team (IDT) Member, Editorial Committee:
2023: Issue #306: The State of Iraq: 20 Years After the Invasion, Spring 2023 issue.
2020: Issue #297: Health and the Body Politic, Winter 2020 issue.
2020: Issue #295: Kurdistan: One and Many, Summer 2020 issue.
2018: Issue #288: Confronting the New Turkey, Fall 2018 issue.
2018: Issue #286: Suffering and the Limits of Relief, Spring 2018 issue.
Peer-Edited Critical / Contemporary Affairs Publications:
2020: [Omar Dewachi, Kevan Harris, Graham Cornwell, co-editors] “Health and the Body Politic Editors Statement.” In Health and the Body Politic. Ed. Michelle Woodward. Middle East Report 297, Winter, 2020. https://merip.org/magazine/297/.
2020: [Ayҫa Alemdaroğlu, Elif Babül, Arang Keshavarzian, co-editors] “Kurdistan, One and Many Editors Statement.” In Kurdistan, One and Many. Ed. Michelle Woodward. Middle East Report 295, Summer 2020. https://merip.org/magazine/295/.
2019: “Autopsy of Erdoǧan’s Istanbul Defeat.” In Middle East Report Online, 12 September 2019. https://merip.org/2019/09/autopsy-of-erdo%C7%A7ans-istanbul-defeat/.
2019: “Turkish Voters Upset Erdoǧan’s Competitive Authoritarianism.” In Middle East Report Online, 22 April 2019. https://merip.org/2019/04/turkish-voters-upset-erdogans- competitive-authoritarianism.
2018: “Civilians in Mosul’s Battle of Annihilation.” In Suffering and the Limits of Relief. Ed. Michelle Woodward. Middle East Report 286, Volume 487:1, pp. 28-30, Spring 2018. https://merip.org/2018/10/civilians-in-mosuls-battle-of-annihilation/.
2018: “Extending the Borders of Europe: An Interview with Aurélie Ponthieu.” In Suffering and the Limits of Relief. Ed. Michelle Woodward. Middle East Report 286, Volume 487:1, pp. 10-13, Spring 2018. https://merip.org/2018/10/extending-the-borders-of-europe/.
2015 [Ahmad Al Rousan, co-author]: “Syrian and Iraqi Conflicts Move Turkey to the Heart of Europe’s Refugee Crisis, Turkish Review 5/3 (2015), pp. 190-193.
2009: “Negligient Mnemocide and the Shattering of Iraqi Collective Memory.” In Cultural Cleansing: The Willful Destruction of Iraq, eds. Raymond W. Baker, Shereen T. Ismael, and Tareq Y. Ismael. London: Pluto Press, 2009, pp. 93-115.
2005: “From Showcase to Basket Case: Education in Iraq.” ISIM Review 15 (Spring 2005), pp. 24-25. http://www.isim.nl/files/Review_15/Review_15.pdf.
Book Reviews:
2011: International Journal of Middle East Studies (43, pp. 177-179), book review: Dawisha, Adeed. Iraq: A Political History from Independence to Occupation. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2009.
2010: History: Reviews of New Books (38), book review: Bashkin, Orit. The Other Iraq: Pluralism and Culture in Hashemite Iraq. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2009.
2007: Human Rights Review (8:2, Winter, pp. 129-131) book review: Dalacoura, Katerina. Islam, Liberalism, and Human Rights. London: I.B. Taurus, 2003.
2000: Mamluk Studies Review (4, pp. 260-265) book review: Ibn Zunbul, Ahmad b. ‘Ali. Wāqi‘āt al-Sultān al-Ghawrī ma‘a Salīm al-‘Uthmānī, ed. ‘Abd al-Mun‘im ‘Āmir. Cairo: al-Hay’ah al-Misriyah al-‘Āmmah lil-Kitab, 1997.
1997: Jusūr: The UCLA Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (13, pp. 103-107) book review: Renard, John. Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality and the Religious Life of Muslims. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
Policy Briefs:
2008: “U.S. Policy and the Creation of a Sectarian Iraq.” In Iraq’s Refugee and IDP Crisis: Human Toll and Implications, Viewpoints Special Edition, Washington: Middle East Institute, 2008. http://www.mei.edu/Portals/0/Publications/iraqs-refugee-and-IDP-crisis.pdf
2008: “Viewpoint: How the Iraq Map Has Been Redrawn,” Reuters AlertNet, Sept. 18, 2008. http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/122175633976.htm
2003: [web report]: “Iraq Manuscript Collections, Archives, and Libraries Situation Report,” Baghdad, Iraq. http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/docs/nat.html.
2003: [web report]: “Social and Political Forces in Iraq: An NGO Primer,” Baghdad, Iraq. www.jnepi.org.jo [defunct website], http://people.umw.edu/~naltikri/.
1993: with Deborah Brautigam, Robert Smith, Lan Sun, and Christine Wrona. “Identifying a Small Enterprise Project: The Handicrafts Industry in Belize.” In Pew Case Studies in International Affairs. Washington: Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, 1993.
Professional Association Newsletter Publications:
2019: “Come for MESA, Enjoy New Orleans Culture.” Issues in Middle East Studies 41:1 (April, 2019), pp. 19-21.
2013: “Laissez les bons temps roulez (Let the Good Times Roll).” Issues in Middle East Studies 35:1 (April, 2013), pp. 24-26.
Autobiography & Reflection:
2022: “Reflections on Being a Citizen of the World.” In Lois Ann Nicolai, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: A Memoir of One Citizen Activist, Pennsauken: Book Baby Publishers, 2022, ch. 12.
2021: “What Monitoring Elections Has Taught Me.” In Lois Ann Nicolai, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Elections: A Memoir of International Democracy Builders, Pennsauken: Book Baby Publishers, 2021, pp. 232-235.
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CONFERENCE LECTURES, PAPERS, AND PRESENTATIONS
Invited Keynote Speaker Appearances:
“Şehzade Korkud ve 16. Yüyzıl Osmanlısında Dini Kimlik Mücadeleleri (Şehzade Korkud and 16th Century Ottoman Religious Struggles),” Uluslararası Katılımlı Şehzade Korkut Sempozyomu (International Attendee Şehzade Korkud Symposium), Akdeniz Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi, Antalya, TURKEY, 2019 [in Turkish].
“Warrior Knights and Sea Ghazis in the Age of Empire” Keynote Speaker, Third Annual History Graduate Student Conference, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 2014.
“The State of Middle East Studies in the American Academy,” Keynote Speech, “Science, Institutions, and Identity in the Muslim Societies” Workshop, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, 2011.
Keynote Panelist, Iraq: Where do We Go From Here? Roundtable, Association of Conflict Resolution Conference, Austin, TX, 2008.
International Invited Presentations and Appearances:
“All My Children – Assessing the Ego Documents of Bayezid II’s (d. 1512) Family,” Osmanlı Literatüründe Ben-Anlatıları / Ottoman Ego-Documents, İstanbul Medeniyet Üniversitesi, Istanbul, 2022.
“Greatness Denied: Firdevsī-yi Rūmī on the Cusp of Ottoman Sunnism,” Osmanlı’da İlm-i Tarih Sempozyumu / Historiography in the Ottoman Empire Symposium, İSAM Research Institute, Istanbul, 2022.
“Revisiting ‘Yavuz Sultan Selim Nasıl Padışah Oldu’: The Selimşah-Korkud Correspondence,” The International Symposium on Yavuz Sultan Selim and His Era, İstanbul Üniversitesi, Istanbul, 2021 [in Turkish].
“Takfīring Enemies, Registering Slavery, Tasting Death: Şehzade Korkud’s (d. 1513) Contributions to Ottoman Religio- Political Identity,” Rethinking Ottoman Sunnitization, ca. 1450-1700 Workshop, Central European University, Budapest, 2017.
Panelist, “Migration” Panel, Estoril International Conference, Cascais, Portugal, 2017.
“An Ottoman View of World History: Kâtip Çelebi’s Takvîmü’t-Tevârîh,” First International Kâtip Çelebi Research Symposium, Kâtip Çelebi Üniversitesi, Izmir, Turkey, 2015.
“John Elphinstone and the Battle of Çeşme,” Second International Congress of Eurasian Maritime Studies, Lichnost Peterburga Historical and Cultural Center, Piri Reis Üniversitesi, and International Association of Maritime Studies (IAMS), St. Petersburg, 2014.
“The 1502-1504 Correspondence Between Şehzade Korkud and the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem,” Workshop on the Mediterranean in History, Venice, 2013.
“Advocating for Release: the al-Dārānī Appeal,” International Symposium on Piri Reis and Turkish Maritime History, Prime Minister’s Archives, Istanbul, 2013.
“Some Longer Term Effects of the 2003 Anglo-American Invasion on Iraqi Society,” Iraq 10 Years On – Conflicts, Migrations, Futures, AUC Center for Migration and Refugee Studies, Cairo, 2013.
“A Tale of Two Nations: Translation Traditions in the Arab World and Turkey,” 3rd Baghdad International Conference on Translation: Translation is a Means of Communication Among Cultures, Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Dar al-Ma’mun Publishing House, Baghdad, 2013.
Speaker, Iraqi Foreign Policy in a Changing Middle East Workshop, Chatham House, London, 2013.
“All My Children: Family Dynamics During Bayezid II’s Reign.” Bayezid II Symposium, Istanbul, 2012 [in Turkish].
“The Ties that Bind: Ottoman Sea Ghazis from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean,” 1st International Congress of Eurasian Maritime History (Turkish Naval History), Piri Reis Üniversitesi, Istanbul, 2012.
“Iraqi Provincial Border Changes from the Ottoman Era to Today,” Workshop on the Developing Environment of Middle East Peace, Japan Institute of International Affairs, Tokyo, 2010.
“Sea Ghazis, Warrior Priests, and One Ottoman Patron’s Articulation of Just War (ca. 1497-1508),” La Frontière Méditerranéenne du 15e au 17e Siècle: Échanges Circulations et Affrontements Colloquium, Centre d’études supérieures de la Renaissance, Tours, 2009.
Presenter, Iraq’s New Reality: Key Drivers and Determinants Workshop, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Waterloo, 2009.
“Looting Iraq’s History,” Archives in Danger – History Lost?, al-Dhakira al-Arabiyya / Arab Memory 3rd International Workshop, Beirut, 2009.
“There Go the Neighborhoods: Policy Effects vis-à-vis Iraqi Forced Migration,” Dispossession and Displacement: Forced Migration in the Middle East and Africa Symposium, London, 2008.
“Shaku Maku: The Effect of Assassinations, Emigration, and Communalization on Iraqi Higher Education,” The Making of Muslim Youths: New Cultural Politics in the Global North and South Conference, The Hague, 2006.
“Osman on the Mind: Tommaso Campanella’s Utopian Vision,” Ottoman and Atlantic Empires Conference, Istanbul, 2005.
Panelist, Accounts of Eyewitnesses Panel, A Future for Our Past Symposium, Istanbul, 2004.
“Who’s Who in Iraq, 2003: A Socio-Historical Context Analysis,” Joint NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative Workshop, Amman, 2003.
“Kalam in the Service of State: Korkud’s Hafiz al-insan and the Takfir Fetvas of Kemalpaşazade and Sarı Gürz Hamza Efendi,” Symposium on Authority and Legitimacy in the Ottoman Empire, Bogaziçi University, Istanbul, 2001.
Domestic Invited Presentations and Appearances:
“Toward a New World Order? Joint and Coalition Operations in a Major Regional War – Iraq
1990-98,” U.S. Naval War College, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022.
“Engaging with Higher Education in Azerbaijan,” Drexel University School of Education, Philadelphia, PA, 2020 [online]. https://drexel.edu/studentlife/diversity/events/details/?eid=29603&iid=78585.
“US-Iraq Relations since 1958,” Foreign Service Institute, Washington, DC, 2020-2023 (recurring).
“The Global Humanitarian System and its Impact on the Middle East,” School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Virginia Tech, 2018.
“The Past as Prologue? Confronting Terrorism and Insurgency in the Muslim World – French-Algerian War, 1954- 1962,” U.S. Naval War College, 2018.
“MSF and Global Health,” UC San Diego and Soka University, Los Angeles, 2017.
Panelist, “Narratives of Co-Existence & Pluralism in Northern Iraq,” Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 2017. Panelist, “The Situation in Mosul,” Rayburn House Office Building, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, 2017.
Panelist, “Between the World and Me,” LaGuardia Community College, New York City, 2017.
Panelist, “Integrating Humanitarian Response and Cultural Heritage in Disasters Workshop,” Cultural Rescue Initiative, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 2016.
“Things Fall Apart: Prospects for Conflict in the Middle East and Beyond.” Teaching about Global Conflict and Resolution, National Community College Peacebuilding Seminar, Northern Virginia Community College, U.S. Institute of Peace, 2014.
“Lawrence of Arabia, 1888-1935,” Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, 2013.
“‘Ghazi” Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1881-1938,” Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, 2012. http://www.umw.edu/greatlives/2012/04/11/umws-nabil-al-tikriti-on-ataturk-the- founder-of-the-republic-of-turkey-tuesday-april-17/.
“Forced Migration and the Homogenization of Iraq and the Middle East’s Ethno-Sectarian Mosaic,” The Gulf and the Globe 2009 Conference, Naval Academy, Annapolis, 2009.
“Iraqi Forced Migration in an Era of Sectarian Remapping,” Association of Conflict Resolution Conference, Austin, 2008.
Panelist, Iraq: What to Do? Symposium, Global Constitutions Forum, Philadelphia, 2008.
“Iraq Endgame,” Great Decision Series, League of Women Voters, Williamsburg, 2008.
“Teaching by Trial and Error,” College Teaching that Promotes Active Learning Conference, Chicago, 2007.
“The Middle East: What the Goal Should Be,” B’nai B’rith, Jewish Community Center, Fairfax, 2007.
Panelist, First Annual Symposium on the Relations Between the United States and the Islamic World, Payson Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, 2007.
“Genghiz Khan,” Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, 2007.
Discussant, What Does it Mean to be Iraqi? The Politics of Identity in Iraq Panel, Iraq Working Group, U.S. Institute of Peace, Washington, C-Span 2, 2006.
“The Eastern Frontier: Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul Under Ottoman Rule,” From Mesopotamia to Iraq: Historical Perspectives on the Middle East Symposium, Tulane University, New Orleans, 2006.
“Muhammad,” Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, 2005.
“The Destruction of Iraqi Libraries and Archives,” Midwest Art History Society Panel, University of Notre Dame, 2004.
Panelist, The Baghdad Library in Flames, One Year Later Panel, San Francisco Public Library Forum, 2004.
“The Effects of War and Looting on Iraq’s Manuscript Collections,” Boulder Library Speakers’ Series and University of Denver, 2003.
International Presentations:
“Observations on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict’s 10 November Resolution,” Scientific Conference on “Review of Historical and Ethnographic issues of the Middle East and the Caucasus region in the XII-XV centuries, Western Caspian University, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2020 [online].
“University of Mary Washington and U.S. Higher Education Opportunities,” American Centers in Baku, Ganja, Kurdemir, and Xaçmaz, Azerbaijan, October 2018-May 2019.
[Stéphane Ipert, co-presenter]: “A Survey of Iraqi Libraries Before and After the American Intervention,”
Proceedings of the Tenth Islamic Manuscript Conference, Cambridge, UK, 2014.
“Grim Advice, Bold Solutions: Idris-i Bitlisi’s 1513 Treatise on the Caliphate and Sultanic Protocols,” Comité International des Études Pré-Ottomanes et Ottomanes Conference, Rethymno, Crete, 2012.
“All My Children: Succession Politics Under Bayezid II,” American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT), Istanbul, 2011.
“Messiah Lovers, Sola Scriptura, and the Early Evolution of both an Ottoman Islam and Protestantism,” World History Association Symposium, Istanbul, 2010.
“Shifting Borders and State Prerogatives: Iraqi Provincial Border Changes from the Ottoman Era to Today,” World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies Conference, Barcelona, 2010.
“Regional Policy Reception of Iraqi Refugees,” International Association of Contemporary Iraqi Studies Conference, London, 2008.
“Was There an Iraq Before There Was an Iraq?,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Montreal, 2007. “Pirates, Sea Ghazis, and Warrior Priests: Ottoman-Knights of St. John Relations from an Ottoman Perspective, Part II,” World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies Conference, University of Mainz, 2002.
“A Conscience to Die For: Prince Korkud’s (ca. 1468-1513) Casuistic Treatises,” Conference on Conscience in the Early Modern World, 1500-1800, University of Sheffield, 2002.
The Hajj as Justifiable Self-Exile: Prince Korkud’s Means of the Beloved,” International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, 2002.
“Pirates, Sea Ghazis, and Warrior Priests: Ottoman-Knights of St. John Relations from an Ottoman Perspective, Part I,” Comité International des Études Pré-Ottomanes et Ottomanes Conference, LSE, London, 2002.
“Ottoman Governance and Islamic Ethics According to Şehzade Korkud’s Da‘wat al-nafs al-taliha,” Deutsches Orientalisches Tage Conference, Bamberg, 2001.
“Deviants, Obstinates, Refuseniks, Ungrateful Loutes, Hypocrites, and some others: Şehzade Korkud’s Sharh alfaz al- kufr,’ Comité International des Études Pré-Ottomanes et Ottomanes Conference, Çeşme, 2000.
Domestic Presentations:
“Revisiting the Şahkulu and Nur Ali Halife Rebellions,” Alevi-Bektashi Studies Workshop, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 2022.
“The Ukraine Crisis,” Global Learning Council (GLC), Unitarian Universalist Church, Wichita, KS, 2022 (remote).
“Adventures with Higher Education in Azerbaijan,” Social Research Colloquium, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, 2020.
“Some Notes on Manuscript Collections in Azerbaijan,” Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) meeting, Washington, DC, 2019.
“The Imam’s Cut: Ghazā’s Norms in the Age of the Ottoman Caliphate,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, San Antonio, TX, 2018.
“MSF Mediterranean Migration Operations,” Brown Bag Lunch Series, MSF/Doctors Without Borders, New York, 2015.
“The Crisis in Iraq Today,” National Security Lecture Series, University of Mary Washington, Dahlgren, 2015. “Greatness Denied: Firdevsi-yi Rumi on the Cusp of Ottoman Sunnism,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, 2014.
“MSF Syria Operations,” Brown Bag Lunch Series, MSF/Doctors Without Borders, New York, 2013.
“Ibn-i Kemal’s Confessionalism and the Construction of an ‘Ottoman Islam,’” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, 2011.
“Reconstructing Korkud: An Ottoman Royal, Scholar and Litterateur in Troubled Times,” Social Research Colloquium, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, 2011.
“Sea Ghazis, Warrior Priests, and One Ottoman Patron’s Articulation of Just War (ca. 1497-1508),” American History Association Conference, San Diego, 2010.
“Requirements in the [UMW] History Major,” 5th Annual COPLAC [Consortium of Public Liberal Arts Colleges]Faculty Summer Institute on Liberal Learning in the Disciplines, Focus Discipline: History, UNC-Asheville, 2009.
Presenter and Panel Organizer, “Catch Basins, Evangelicals, and the Homogenization of Iraqi Milletnicity,” Displacing Borders: Iraq’s Post-2003 Forced Migration Panel Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, 2008.
“
Force Multipliers, Embedded NGOs, and the Degradation of Humanitarian Space,” Confronting the Iraq Humanitarian Crisis: An NGO-Scholar Dialogue” Roundtable, Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, 2008.
“Iraq’s Long March From Monarchic Pluralism to Ba‘athist Hegemony,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Boston, 2006.
Discussant, From Insurgency to Reconstruction: Contexts for Post-Ba‘thi Iraq Panel, Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, 2005.
“What Was Lost In Iraq 2003: An Overview and Update,” Libraries in Times of War, Conflict, and Social Change Conference, Library History Seminar XI, Champaign-Urbana, 2005.
“The State of Post-War Iraq’s Manuscript Collections,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Anchorage, 2003.
“The Role of Takfir in the Construction of an Ottoman Islam,” American Historical Association Conference, Chicago, 2003.
“Kalam and the Construction of Homo Ottomanicus,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, 2002.
“Every Soul Tastes Death: The Life and Times of a Dissident Ottoman Prince – Şehzade Korkud (ca. 1468-1513),” Southeastern Medievalists Association Conference, New Orleans, 2001.
“Global Public Health Challenges,” International Health and the War on Microscopic Killers (Illinois State Medical Society, Medical Student Section) Conference, Chicago, 1998.
“Baraq Baba (d. 1307): The Evolution and Devolution of a Deviant Dervish’s Memory,” Jusūr Conference, UCLA, Los Angeles, 1998.
Roundtable or Panelist Speaker Appearances:
Panelist: “Iraqi Studies Across Disciplines: The Future for an Iraqi Research Centre,” Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2019.
Panelist, “Celebrating Scholarship: MESA Book Award Winners Discuss their Scholarship,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, San Antonio, TX, 2018.
“Familial and Personal Journeys with US Foreign Policy on Iraq,” at “Roundtable: Usurpation: The Untold Stories of the Iraq War, 2003 to the Present,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, DC, 2017.
Panelist, “Military-NGO Cooperation,” Nine Innings Exercise Panel, Quantico, 2015.
Panelist, “Global Health Engagement: Battlespace or Humanitarian Space – Deconfliction, Collaboration, and Coexistence with NGOs” Panel, Special Operations Medical Association Conference, Tampa, 2014.
Panelist, “Teaching the Greater Middle East in a Time of War” Roundtable, International Studies Association Conference, New Orleans, 2010.
Panelist, “Nurtering Curricular Vitality in the History Major at Public Liberal Arts Colleges,” Association of American Colleges and Universities Conference, Washington, 2010.
Speaker, Iraqi Émigré Town Hall, Iraqi Embassy, Washington, 2009.
“Addressing Iraqi Forced Migration” Presentation, The Return and Resettlement of Displaced Iraqis, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Hearing, 2009: http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2009/Al-TikritiTestimony090331pp.pdf.
Panelist, Forum on Iraq’s Humanitarian Crisis, George Washington University, Washington, 2008.
Panelist, Iraq: Examining the Diplomatic and Political Tools to Achieve Progress and Stability
Panel, Center for American Progress, Washington, 2008.
Discussant Appearances:
Discussant, Global Teach Connections Summit, Drexel University / University of Pennsylvania, 2022.
Discussant, “Ottoman Seas Panel,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, Boston, 2016.
Discussant, Panel on Kurdish Displacement, Brookings Institution, Washington, 2008.
Chair Appearances:
Chair, Co-Organizer, Moderator, “Navigating in a New Political Environment,” MSF/Doctors Without Borders General Assembly, New York City, 2017.
Chair, Co-Organizer, Moderator, “MSF’s Migration Initiatives,” MSF/Doctors Without Borders General Assembly, New York City, 2016.
Chair, “Empire and Belonging: Ottoman Empire to Republican Turkey Panel,” Middle East Studies Association Conference, New Orleans, 2013.
Radio Appearances:
Radio Interviews: KALW, KPFA, KPFP, Pacifica, Swedish Public Radio, War News Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio, A World of Possibilities, Radio Uprising.
Speaker, Radio Uprising Video, http://uprisingradio.org/home/2015/04/15/iraqi-pm-visits-us-as-battle-with-isis- continues/, 2015.
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GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
2018-19 Fulbright Scholar Award, Baku State University, Azerbaijan.
Proposed BSU American Studies Bachelors and Masters Program Curriculum Reform
University of Mary Washington Jepson Fellowship awarded, declined for Fulbright.
2017 University of Mary Washington Faculty Development Grant.
2014 University of Mary Washington Faculty Development Grant.
2013 University of Mary Washington Sabbatical Grant.
2010-11 American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) Faculty Research Grant.
2008 Georg-Eckert-Institut für internationale Schulbuchforschung Research Grant.
2007-08 University of Mary Washington Faculty Achievement Award.
2007-08 United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Jennings Randolph Fellowship.
2006 University of Mary Washington Faculty Development Grant.
2005 University of Mary Washington Faculty Development Grant.
2005 The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII).
US Scholars Research in Iraq Fellowship. Fellowship awarded, implementation not possible.
2002 University of Chicago Humanities Division Overseas Research Grant.
Carried out dissertation-related archival research in the National Library of Malta.
2001-02 Institute for Turkish Studies (ITS) Dissertation Writing Grant.
2001 Finalist for Charlotte W. Newcombe Dissertation Writing Grant for Ethics and Theology.
1999-2000 Fulbright-Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship.
American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) Dissertation Research Grant [awarded, but declined].
Examined and collected manuscript and archival materials at the Süleymaniye Library, Topkapı Palace Library and Archives, and Başbakanlık Archives in Istanbul with official Turkish government research permission. Conducted research visits to manuscript collections in Ankara, Bursa, Manisa, Baghdad, Mosul, Beirut, Cairo, Berlin, Paris, and Jerusalem.
1996-97 Fulbright-Institute for International Education (IIE) Turkey Fellowship.
Examined and collected manuscript and archival materials at the Süleymaniye, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul University, and Millet Library collections in Istanbul with official Turkish government research permission. Conducted research visits to manuscript collections in Ankara, Diyarbekir, Elmalı, Erzerum, Konya, Sivas, and Damascus.
1995-96 Title IX Fellowship.
1995 (summer) American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT), Foreign Language-Area Studies (FLAS) Grants.
Attended advanced modern Turkish language program at Bogaziçi University in Istanbul.
1994-95 Foreign Language-Area Studies/Title VI (FLAS) Fellowship.
1994 (summer) Mellon Foundation Language Support Grant.
Attended intermediate modern Turkish language program at Bogaziçi University in Istanbul.
1993-95, 97-98 University of Chicago NELC Department Fellowship.
1990-91 Rotary Foundation International Scholarship.
Attended U.S. Government-supported CASA Advanced Arabic Immersion Program in Cairo.
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Polling Station Supervisor, Short-Term Observer (STO), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Bosnia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Albania, Montenegro, Armenia, Türkiye, 1997-2023. Long-Term Observer (LTO), Kazakhstan, 2020-21. Monitored 2023 Türkiye presidential, 2021 Armenia parliamentary, 2021 Kazakhstan parliamentary [Long Term Observer], 2019 Ukraine parliamentary, 2019 Kazakhstan presidential, 2018 Georgian presidential, 2016 Montenegro parliamentary, 2015 Belarus presidential, 2014 Ukraine presidential, 2011 Albanian parliamentary; 2010 Georgian, 2007 Kyrgyzstan, 2006 Belarus, and 2004 Ukraine presidential elections. Supervised and monitored polling stations in 2001 and 2002 Kosovo national and municipal elections, 1998 Bosnia presidential and parliamentary elections, and 1997 Bosnia municipal elections. Seconded by U.S. State Department and U.S. Peace Corps.
Vice-President, Board of Directors, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) USA, 2016-17; Member, Board of Directors, 2011-17.
Chaired Governance Committee. Served on Association, Program, and Administration/Risk Committees. Mediated Field Associative Debates in Amman, Juba, Athens, and Kabul. Co-organized and moderated NYC General Assembly workshops and panels on international humanitarian law, migrant populations, medical care under fire, and social media in the field. Represented MSF at donor, university, military, and Rotary Club functions. Represented MSF USA at MSF Japan, Spain, and France General Assemblies. Served MSF’s Starved for Attention Exhibit in Baltimore. Participated in Peer Support Network Atlanta and Portland retreats. Led co-opted board member search process. Participated in MSF USA Executive Director search.
Country Director Assistant, Deputy Head of Mission, Cultural Facilitator, Context Officer, Liaison Officer, Administrator, Logistician.
MSF Ethiopia, Iraq, Mediterranean Rescue, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Albania, Iran, Somalia, 1993-2016. Mapped government relations in Ethiopia. Supported coordination efforts in Iraq. Assisted and facilitated rescue of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Jointly coordinated medical relief activities in Syria from Turkey during their civil conflict. Jointly conducted exploratory mission determining potential MSF activity for Iraq. Negotiated with community and clan leaders concerning team security and staff contracts. Liaised with UN, NGO, and local government personnel. Established national staffing guidelines and office administration. Controlled personnel issues for over 200 local staff in war zone. Managed $100,000/month cash security, logistics, and budgetary control for $4 million emergency health relief project. Negotiated contracts. Evaluated program administration. Authored program updates and situation reports. Supervised offloading and storage of international air cargo shipments. Dispatched relief shipments. Maintained inventory records. Explored local purchase options. Conducted field/HQ communications and press relations. Led public and professional discussions concerning relief profession upon return from the field.
Expert Witness, Refugee Asylum Applications, United States Asylum Courts, 2016-18.
Provided expert witness testimony on Iraqi security for Iraqi clients applying for asylum in the United States.
External Grant Reviewer, Iraq Field Projects, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), USA, 2005-2014.
Reviewed project proposals submitted by Iraqi NGOs for USIP civil society funding.
Consultant, L-3, USA, 2009-2010.
Co-authored a paper for government usage pertaining to the “Kurdish Initiative” in Turkey.
Consultant, Joint NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative (JNEPI), Jordan, 2003.
Authored report addressing Iraq’s socio-political context for NGO use. Organized and led workshop.
Field Coordinator, Project Manager, Chef de Service, Catholic Relief Services, Somalia, Iraq, 1991-92.
Managed air and land transport logistics, rural population registration, and food distributions for 1400 MT sorghum emergency relief project. Established office administration. Negotiated with local authorities. Managed project finances, food logistics, reporting, and local personnel for $4.5 million USG-funded emergency relief project. Authored program updates, situation reports, and project proposals. Supported field personnel. Liaised with UN, NGO, and government personnel. Directed and monitored relief distributions.
Fieldwork Evaluation Intern, [Foster Parents] PLAN International, Zambia, 1989.
Evaluated program implementation and socio-economic impact of USAID-funded rural/urban development program. Interviewed participants, collected data, and wrote case studies.
Development Management Intern, Africare, Egypt, Sudan, 1988.
Initiated local fund-raising efforts. Developed project proposals.
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PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Association of University Professors
Middle East Studies Association
MSF/Doctors Without Borders Movement Wide Assocation
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SERVICE & PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Middle East Report & Information Project (MERIP) Editorial Committee Member, 2017-2023; Vice Chair, 2020-2023.
Fulbright Specialist Roster, 2019-present.
DoE National Resource Center / Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship Peer Reviewer, 2010, 2014, 2022.
The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII) Grant Reviewer, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023.
Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Dept. of State, Recurring Lecture: “U.S.-Iraqi Relations From 1958 to the Present,” 2020-2023.
DoE International Research and Studies (IRS) Grant Reviewer, 2020, 2023.
American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) / National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) FPIRI Grant Reviewer, 2020.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Grant Reviewer, 2020.
Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Program Committee Member, 2019, 2020.
Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Book Prize Committee Member, 2018.
UMW Fulbright Scholar Liaison, 2017-present.
UMW Campus Fulbright Program Advisor, 2006-present: Advised 26 Fulbright Finalists and 37 Semi-Finalists, 2006-present.
American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) Grant Reviewer, 2017.
Fulbright / International Institute of Education (IIE) Grant Reviewer, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, 2016, 2017.
The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII) Grant Reviewer, 2014.
UMW University Budgetary Affairs Committee (UBAC) Member, 2011-2013, 2021-22. Chair, 2013-14, 2019-21.
U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) Iraq Field Projects, NGO Civil Society Grant Reviewer, 2005-2014.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Grant Reviewer, Middle East Region, 2012.
Institute for Genocide Awareness and Applied Research (IGAAR), Advisory Board Member, 2010-2011.
UMW Faculty General Education Committee Member, 2008-2010.
Katrina Relief Student Volunteers Trip, Organizer and Faculty Mentor, 2007-2008.
Ottoman Istanbul Summer Course, Founder and Director, 2007.
Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Reviewer, 2007.
Fulbright Program Advisor, 2006-present.
Advised Three Fulbright Grantees and Three Runners-Up, 2006-2009.
International Academic Services Assistant Director Search Committee Member, 2007.
Middle East Studies Certificate Co-Founder, 2006.
Faculty Senator, representing Department of History and American Studies, 2005-07.
U.S. Institute of Peace Grant Reviewer, 2005-present.
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COURSES TAUGHT
University of Mary Washington:
Seminar: Ottoman Legacies
Freshman Seminar: History of Genocides
Arab-Israeli Conflict
Introduction to the Study of History
Islamic Civilization I & II
Western Civilization II
Turkey from Empire to Republic
Seminar: Sufi Movements
Seminar: The Great War in the Middle East
Modern Iraq
From Mongols to Ottomans
Modern Middle East History
Seminar: Humanitarianism
Freshman Seminar: Forbidden Texts
Medieval Islamic Civilization
Seminar: Problems in Genocide Studies
World War II in World History
Georgetown University:
SCS Graduate Seminars: History of Genocide, Forbidden Texts
Boğaziçi Üniversitesi:
Introduction to Ottoman History
Loyola University, New Orleans:
History of Modern Iraq. Middle East History I
Palestinians and Israelis Middle East History II
