Initiator and Leader: Berke Çetinkaya
Ph.D. Student, Department of History
The Ottoman Turkish Reading Group brings together a community of graduate students and scholars with a shared interest in Ottoman and Turkish Studies. Our aim is to provide a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment for developing reading proficiency in Ottoman Turkish, while engaging with a wide range of historical texts.
Each semester, we explore materials from diverse genres and time periods, allowing participants to deepen both linguistic and historical understanding. As the only initiative on campus dedicated to Ottoman Turkish, the reading group fills a unique role in the academic landscape of UW–Madison.
What We’ve Read So Far:
- Fall 2023 and Spring 2024: We read excerpts from Neşrî’s Cihannümâ, a 17th-century historical and geographical work; Mizancı Murad’s Tarih-i Umumî, an early 20th-century world history; and select texts from late Ottoman journals.
- Fall 2024 and Spring 2025: We focused on reading Ottoman archival documents from the 16th to the 20th centuries, written in Rika, Talik, and Divani scripts. We prioritize materials that support the individual research interests of our participants.
Looking Ahead:
The group will resume in September 2025 for the 2025–2026 academic year. Meeting times will be determined based on participants’ availability. Each session will last an hour and-half, occur once a week, and take place in a designated classroom within the History Department.
Whether you’re looking to improve your Ottoman Turkish, explore historical documents, or simply connect with fellow scholars, we welcome your participation.
📧 Get in Touch:
For more information or to join the group, feel free to email us at karpatgradsociety@gmail.com.
Ottoman Turkish Reading Group Participants
2024–2025 Academic Year
- Selenay Aydin (History)
- Berke Cetinkaya (History)
- Duygu Eriten (History)
- Mehmet Hakan Sari (Mechanical Engineering)
2023–2024 Academic Year
- Selenay Aydin (History)
- Berke Cetinkaya (History)
- Duygu Eriten (History)
- Emir Karakaya (History)
- Vedat Gurbuz (Retired Professor of History) (invited guest)