Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Research subject: Shaping Royal Self-Images: Self-Narratives in the Service of Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Dynasties in the 16th and 17th Centuries
Supervisor: Prof. Eyal Ginio and Dr. Julia Rubanovich
Bio: I hold a B.A. with a major in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and a minor in Arabic Language and Literature, as well as an M.A. in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. I completed both of my degrees with honors. My Master's thesis, entitled "The Ottoman Sultan in Safavid Shah's Eyes: Self and Other Perception in The Personal Writings of Shah Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576)," was written under the supervision of Prof. Eyal Ginio and Dr. Julia Rubanovich. It aimed to examine the ways in which the second Safavid ruler of Persia constructed and presented the political, cultural, and religious image of the Ottoman empire and its ruler Suleiman I (r. 1520-1566), as opposed to how he presented his own image.
Abstract: My doctoral dissertation revolves around the question of why various members of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal dynasties engaged in the writing of self-narratives characterized by autobiographical elements during the 16th and 17th centuries. Through a systematic and careful reading of diverse self-narratives written in Persian, Ottoman-Turkish, and Arabic, I seek to analyze the ways in which different rulers, princes, and princesses in these royal houses shaped and represented their self-images and understood such notions as kingship, sovereignty, legitimacy, and subjectivity.
Azrieli Scholarship 2021/22
Presidents Stipend 2020/21