Queen's history professor Ariel Salzmann has been awarded a prestigious fellowship at Koç University's Research Centre for Anatolian Civilizations in Instanbul, Turkey.

Ariel Salzmann’s prestigious interdisciplinary fellowship at Koç University’s Research Centre for Anatolian Civilizations in Istanbul adds another connection between Queen’s and academic institutions in Turkey.

Professor Salzmann is the first faculty member from a Canadian university to be awarded one of the esteemed fellowships.

"The fellowship will allow me to use archival materials and printed sources in Persian, Arabic, Turkish and Ottoman Turkish that are unavailable at Queen’s," says Dr. Salzmann, an associate professor of history whose research interests include the Middle East and world history. "My time in Turkey will also allow me to build on the relationships we have with our Turkish partners." 

Queen’s currently has partnerships with three universities in Turkey: Koç and Boğaziçi universities in Istanbul and Bilkent University in Ankara. Undergraduate student exchanges are available for students in Arts and Science (all three universities) and Engineering and Applied Science (Bilkent University). Three of the universities also have study-abroad agreements with Queen’s through which their students can study at the Bader International Study Centre in the UK. A wide range of students can apply for exchange, as English is the language of instruction at all three institutions.

"The establishment of these exchange and study-abroad agreements, together with an increased emphasis on Near East studies, demonstrates Queen’s commitment to developing closer academic ties with institutions, faculty and students in the region," says Vice-Provost (International) John Dixon.

Dr. Salzmann will have the opportunity to conduct research at numerous archives in Turkey, including the Prime Minister’s Archive in Istanbul, one of the largest archives in the world with millions of documents spanning the half millennium of history of the Ottoman Empire.

While working full time on her research, she will also give two lectures on her work during the semester.

Queen’s has exchange agreements with approximately 150 institutions in 45 countries. To learn more about these partnerships, visit the Queen’s international webpage.