About
I am a historian of Germany and Turkey with particular interests in the intersections of migration, Islam, education, and the history of knowledge. I received a BA in History from Williams College, an MA in Nationalism Studies from Central European University and a PhD in History from Michigan State University. Before coming to UMBC, I was a fellow in the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University. I have held fellowships at the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and my research and studies have been supported by the Social Science Research Council, Fulbright, the Berlin Program, the Critical Language Scholarship, and the Spencer Foundation. My work has been published in Geschichte und Gesellschaft.Research interests
My research interests include histories of migration, race, Islam, education, and knowledge in and between modern Germany and Turkey. My current research focuses on teachers and imams from Turkey active in West Germany in the 1970s and 1980s. I have additional interests in the application of "American metaphors" to understandings of race in western Europe, the role of transnational Kemalist networks in shaping the reception of Turkish migrants across Europe, Islamic religious instruction in German schools, Turkish Islamic associations in Germany, and the construction by German charities, churches, unions, and migrant organizations of Ausländerarbeit (“work with foreigners”) as a disciplinary category.Teaching interests
I teach courses on Modern Europe with a focus on Germany, the Modern Middle East with a focus on Turkey, the history of Islam, and migration history. I am interested in applying lessons from my research on teaching and learning in teaching courses with project-based and digital components.Education
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Ph D, Modern European History
— Michigan State University (2019) Turkish Teachers and Imams of the Making of Turkish German Difference
- MA, Nationalism Studies — Central European University (2012)
- BA, History — Williams College (2007)