Emrah Sahin
Center for European Studies, University of Florida, 3343 Turlington, Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: (352) 642-5091; E-mail: emrahsahin (at.) ufl.edu
Education
• Degrees: Ph.D., History, McGill University, 2012; M.A., History, Bilkent University, 2004; B.A.,
History Honors, Middle East Technical University, 2001
• Languages: Turkish (native), English (near-native), French (reading and communication), reading
knowledge of Arabic, German, and Ottoman Turkish
• Fields of Research: Ottoman and Turkish Politics and Society; Social Movements in the Islamic World;
the United States in the Middle East; Muslim Migrations
Positions
• Turkish Studies Program Coordinator, the University of Florida’s Center for European Studies, 20122014
• Affiliated faculty member in the International Studies Program and the Center for Global Islamic
Studies, University of Florida, 2013-2014
• Lecturer at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, 2009-2012
Publications
Work in Progress
• Monograph, In Pursuit of Faith: Imperial State, American Missionaries, and Public Order in the
Ottoman Empire. Proposal submitted to university press.
• See How He Saw: An Interpretation of Sultan Abdulhamid II’s Collection. Illustrated book, under
contract with Kenz Publications.
• “Barking Dogs and Moving Caravans: Imperial State Regulations and American Missionary
Publications in the Ottoman Empire.” Book chapter (based on conference paper).
Refereed Articles and Book Chapters
• “Sultan’s America: Lessons from Ottoman Encounters with the United States.” Journal of American
Studies of Turkey 39 (2014): 55-76. Selected by the Turkish Cultural Foundation as the Best Article of the
Year.
• “Capitulations.” In Andrea Stanton et al., eds. Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
California: SAGE, 2012, vol. I, 177-179.
• “Millet System.” In Stanton et al., eds. Cultural Sociology, 181-183.
• “Ottoman Decline and Fragmentation.” In Stanton et al., eds. Cultural Sociology, 172-174.
• “Ottoman Society.” In Stanton et al., eds. Cultural Sociology, 185-190.
• As co-author, “Construction of National Identities in Early Republics: A Comparison of the American
and Turkish Cases.” The Journal of the Historical Society 10, no. 4 (December 2010): 507-531.
• “Jewish Emigration to Turkey in the 1930s.” International Journal of Turkish Studies 15, nos. 1-2
(2009): 115-119.
• Invited chapter, “Home Away from Home: Early Turkish Migration to the United States Reflected in the
Lives of Bayram Mehmet and HazimVasfi.” In Kemal Karpat and Deniz Balgamış, eds. Turkish
Migration to the United States: From Ottoman Times to the Present. Wisconsin: The University of
Wisconsin Press, 2008, 87-101. Reviewed in International Journal of Middle East Studies 42, no. 3
(August 2010): 507-508; International Migration Review 43, no. 4 (Winter 2009): 995-996.
• “Bir Seyahatnamenin Işığında Amerika ve İttihad-ı İslam: Mirza Abdurrahim Efendi’nin Amerika’da
İslamiyeti” [Islam in America: a travelogue to reconsider Ottoman pan-Islamism in the United States].
Klavuz [Guide] 48 (April 2008): 97-103.
• “Anadolu’da Gündelik Hayat” [Daily life in Anatolia]. In İlber Ortaylı and Bayram Bilge Tokel, eds.
Anadolu’da İslam Kültür ve Medeniyeti [Islamic culture and civilization in Anatolia]. Ankara: Presidency
of Religious Affairs, 2007, 75-81.
• “Cumhuriyet Dönemi Eğitim Kurumlarına Genel Bakış” [Turkish educational institutions during the
Republican era]. In Ortaylı and Tokel, eds. Anadolu’da İslam Kültür ve Medeniyeti, 165-176.
• “Kutsal Meslekler” [Prayer, faith, and holy professions]. In Ortaylı and Tokel, eds. Anadolu’da İslam
Kültür ve Medeniyeti, 28-32.
• “I am not Collecting Money like Apples from Trees: Case Studies of Two Turks Who Shared a
Common American Past.” International Journal of Turkish Studies 12, nos. 1-2 (2006): 83-96.
• “American-Turkish Relations in Retrospective.” International Journal of Turkish Studies 12, nos. 1-2
(2006): 195-198.
Editorial Work
• As volume editor, Transatlantic Crossings: Culture, Trade, and Politics in Early U.S.-Turkish
Relations. Ankara: Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TICDA), in press.
• As co-editor and translator, Black Diamond and White Tulips: A History of Ottoman Africa [Afrika’da
Osmanlı asırları: siyah inci beyaz lale]. Istanbul: TICDA, 2013.
• As consulting editor, Clockwork Game: The Illustrious Career of a Chess-Playing Automaton, by Jane
Irwin. Michigan: Edwards Brothers Malloy, 2013. This graphic novel narrates the true story of “the
Turk,” the world’s first chess-playing machine, by reinventing the Turkish image in Europe and America.
Also online at clockwork-comics.
Non-refereed Articles and Book Chapters
• “Turkish-American Relations in Context.” In Sahin, ed. Transatlantic Crossings: Culture, Trade, and
Politics in Early U.S.-Turkish Relations. In Press.
• “American and Turkish republics.” In Sahin, ed. Transatlantic Crossings. In Press.
• “Ottoman Prophesy of a Muslim America.” In Sahin, ed. Transatlantic Crossings. In Press.
• “Thinking Religion Globally, Acting Missionary Locally: Last Century’s American Missionary
Experience in the Near East.” World History Bulletin 23, no. 1 (2007): 33-36.
Translations
• Peygamberler Tarihi [Messengers of God: an Islamic history]. Under contract with Tughra Books.
• World War One [Birinci cihan harbi], by Norman Stone. New York: Tughra Books, in press.
• Mighty Guests of the Throne: The Ottoman Sultans [Tahtın kudretli misafirleri Osmanlı padişahları], by
Salih Gülen. New York: Blue Dome Press, 2010.
Reviews and Editorials
• Invited program review, “The Story of an Incredible Man: Walter Cronkite’s Presentation of Atatürk
(1958).” Journal of American Studies of Turkey. In Press.
• Review of From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian
Merchants from New Julfa, by Sebouh David Aslanian. Journal of the Economic and Social History of
the Orient 56 (2013): 309-311.
• Review of Localizing Islam in Europe: Turkish Islamic Communities in Germany and the Netherlands,
by Ahmet Yükleyen. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 30, no. 2 (2013): 112-115.
• Review of The Theft of History, by Jack Goody. Alternatives International Journal (AIJ) 1 (2008-2009)
• Review of Double Standard: The Secret History of Canadian Immigration, by Reg Whitaker. AIJ 1
(2008-2009)
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• Review of Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, by Mahmood
Mamdani. AIJ 1 (2008-2009)
• Review of The Arab-Israeli Conflict, by Kirsten Schulze. World History Connected (WHC) 4, no. 3
(June 2007); online at worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/4.3/
• Review of The Dynamics of Global Dominance: European Overseas Empires, by David Abernethy.
WHC 4, no. 3 (June 2007)
• Opinion-editorials in Canada Turk, the Turkish-Canadian community newspaper (2010-2013).
Available online at canadaturk.ca
Teaching
Courses Taught at the University of Florida, 2012-2014
• Contours of Ottoman History; Islam and Turkey; Foreign Merchants and Missionaries in the Near East;
Turks and Muslims in Europe and the United States; Turkey and EU: History (scheduled); European
Experience; Senior Seminar in International Studies; Advanced Turkish; Intermediate Turkish; Beginning
Turkish
Other Courses Taught and Assisted
• First and Second Year Turkish, McGill Institute of Islamic Studies; 2011-2012, 2007-2009
• At McGill University, led discussions, graded papers and exams, and advised students in: Ancient
Mediterranean History, Eastern Europe, First World War, Modern History of Islamic Movements,
Race/Ethnicity; 2005-2012
• At Bilkent University, taught sections and graded exams in History of Civilizations; 2003-2004
Conference Papers
• “Turks across the Atlantic: A Comparison of Political Authority and Religious Identity among Turkish
Communities in Cologne and Montreal,” 12th Middle East Technical University International Conference
on International Relations, Ankara, July 2013
• “Crime and Punishment: American Missionaries as the Subject of Ottoman Public Security,” Pierre
Savard Conference, Ottawa, March 2012
• “When Ottoman Karabet Becomes American Walter: The Significance of Citizenship Debates in
Ottoman-U.S. Relations,” McGill-Queen’s History Conference, Montreal, March 2012
• “Strangers in the Land: the Formation of Ottoman Responses to American Missionaries in the Middle
East,” Pierre Savard Conference, Ottawa, April 2011
• “Bitter Taste of Liberty: Ottoman Migration to America,” The Immigrant Experience: A History of
Communities in Transition, Montreal, March 2011
• “Writing Turks: Prospects and Challenges of Research in Ottoman Archives,” McGill-Queen’s History
Conference, Kingston, March 2011
• “Eyes on the Ball: Soccer Fever, Collective Identities, and Urban Landscape in Modern Turkey,”
History at Play: Sport, Leisure, and Games, Old and New, Montreal, March 2010
• “Primal Fear: Ottoman Governmentality toward the American Missionaries, 1880-1896,” World History
Association Conference, Salem, June 2009
• “Amusing a Nation: the Making of Şaban the Cow,” Middle East Studies Association Conference,
Boston, November 2009
• “That Most-Favored Nation: Sultan Abdulhamid’s America, 1880-1908,” International Society for the
Comparative Study of Civilizations World Conference, Saint John, June 2008
• “Living in America as a Marginal Turk: Ubeydullah Efendi and His Memoirs of America, the 1890s,”
McGill-Queen’s History Conference, Montreal, March 2008
• “A Travelogue to Understand Ottoman Islamism: Mirza Abdurrahim’s Islam in America, 1893,” Middle
East Studies Association Conference, Montreal, November 2007
• “Americans of Turkey: Missionary Life with the Ottomans, 1850-1905,” McGill-Queen’s History
Conference, Kingston, March 2007
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• “From Business to Friendship: American-Ottoman Relations during the Nineteenth Century,” Ohio
Academy of History Conference, Springfield (Ohio), April 2005
• “Studying World History in the Near East,” World History Association Conference, Boston,
March 2004
Invited Lectures
• “Barking Dogs and Moving Caravans: Imperial State Regulations and American Missionary
Publications in the Ottoman Empire,” Missionaries in Turkey and China: A Historical Reappraisal,
Istanbul, November 2014 (invited, scheduled)
• “Negotiating the Past: The Case of Modern Turkey,” public lecture at the Institute for Learning in
Retirement (ILR), Gainesville, October 2014
• “A Tale of One City: Istanbul,” public lecture at ILR, October 2014
• “Terrible Turk Beaten: Fighting the Turkish Athletes during the Progressive Era,” Turkish-American
Workshop, Istanbul, June 2014 (invited, declined)
• “Turkey: Deep Divides Within,” public lecture at ILR, February 2013
• “American Missionaries in the Ottoman Realm: Views from the Imperial Center,” McGill’s Ottomanist
Workshop: Patters of Innovation and Change in the Ottoman Empire, March 2012
• “A Nation Reborn: Military Operations in the Dardanelles,” public lecture at the Turkish Community
Center, Montreal, March 2011
Awards, Fellowships, Grants
• Article of the Year, “Sultan’s America: Lessons from Ottoman Encounters with the United States,” the
Turkish Cultural Foundation ($2,000; 2014)
• Best Paper, “Strangers in the Land: the Formation of Ottoman Responses to Christian Missionaries in
the Middle East,” Seventh Annual Pierre Savard Conference (2011)
• Nominee for the “Teacher of the Year” Award, the University of Florida (UF; 2013-2014)
• Development Grant for courses, “Foreign Merchants and Missionaries in the Near East” and “Islam and
Turkey,” UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ($7,500; 2013-2014)
• Best Graduate Teacher, Faculty of Arts, McGill University (2010)
• Turkish Cultural Foundation Doctoral Research Fellowship ($10,000; 2010-2011)
• McGill Faculty of Arts Dissertation Fellowships, McGill University ($17,000; 2006-2009)
• Principal’s Graduate Research Fellowship, McGill University ($5,000; 2008)
• Graduate Fellowship for Excellence, Bilkent University ($11,000; 2001-2005)
• Bilkent University Overseas Research Grant ($3,500; 2003-2004)
• Conference travel grant, Bosphorus University ($2,000; 2014)
• UF Center for European Studies international travel grants ($1,600; 2013-2014)
• Conference Travel Grant, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara (2003-2004)
• Special event grant for Turkish programming at Viva Europe, a festival of European cultures in Florida,
the Institute of Turkish Studies, Georgetown University ($2,500; 2012)
Archival and Documentary Research
Archives and Libraries Used for Research Projects
• Ottoman Archives Division of the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office, Istanbul; 2007, 2009-2010, 2013
• Islamic Studies Library, Montreal; 2009-2011
• National Library of Turkey, Ankara; 2004, 2009, 2010
• Bilkent Archives, Ankara; 2003, 2013
• Archival collections at Andover and Houghton libraries, Massachusetts, June-September 2003
Collaborative Research Projects
• “Teaching Evolution in Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.” The Evolution Research and Education
Center, Montreal; February 2009-October 2011, February-August 2012
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• “Women, Rape, and Violence in Ottoman Lebanon.” History Department, McGill University; May-June
2012
• “Currents of Exchange in the Indian Ocean World.” Indian Ocean World Centre, Montreal; FebruaryJune 2012
• “American-Ottoman Opium Trade.” McGill Institute of Islamic Studies; September 2007-June 2009
Service
Administrative Service
• Committee member, Workshops and Speaker Series (2013-2014); Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships (2012-2013), UF Center for European Studies
• Coordinator, UF Summer Study Program at Sabancı University, Istanbul, 2013-2014
• Negotiator, UF internship and academic exchange program with the University of Economics and
Technology, Ankara, 2013-2014
• Founder, The Florida Journal of Turkey and Turkish Studies (first issue appearing in 2015)
• President, History Graduate Students Association, McGill University, 2007-2008
Conference Organization and Outreach
• Workshop organizer, “Religion and Politics in Turkey and the Middle East,” six-day lecture series at the
Institute for Learning in Retirement, Gainesville, October 2014
• Faculty Advisor, UF International Studies Club, 2013-2014
• Event organizer, “Mediterranean Movie Nights,” a public film series co-sponsored by UF Center for
European Studies and Center for Greek Studies, 2012-2014
• Founder of the public discussion blog, Turkish Tuesdays, available at ceseurogator.blogspot.com
• Panel organizer, “Spreading the Word, Doubling the Earned: Overseas Missions and Trade,” World
History Association (2009); “Tryst around the Sick Men’s Bed: European Diplomacy on the Ottoman
Empire in the Late Nineteenth Century,” Ohio Academy (2005)
Membership History
American Studies Association of Turkey, Cultural Studies Association of Turkey, International Society
for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, Middle East Studies Association, Turkish Cultural
Foundation, World History Association
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