hello, this is fatih

I am a historian specializing in early modern Europe and the Middle East, with a broad focus on princely courts, ceremonial cultures, and politics. Currently pursuing my doctoral research at Indiana University Bloomington.

about me

I focus my academic interests on the Ottoman Empire in the late seventeenth century, incorporating different perspectives such as cultural history, transcultural studies, material culture studies, race theory, and queer theory. In my dissertational project, I aim to situate the reign of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648-1687) and his courtly festivals within a broader global context, revealing his political aspirations and transcultural connections with other early modern courts.

I am originally from Istanbul, Turkey, and am an avid coffee drinker, traveler, and museum lover.

I held the Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies Fellowship at Indiana University.

new publication

“Beyond Borders and Beasts: Exploring an Ottoman Traveler’s Colonial Discourse and His Contribution to the Formation of Race in the Early Modern Period” is forthcoming in Comitatus.

recent work

“The Role of Artisans in the Circumcision Festival of 1675 during the Reign of Sultan Mehmed IV,” Belleten 88, no. 311 (2024): 111-146.

recent work

“The 1675 Imperial Festival and Firework Makers in an Ottoman Register,” Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association 8, no. 2 (2021): 147-176.