About

What makes something religious or not? And why does this matter?

My research focuses on understanding the contours of Islamic thought in the eighteenth-century Mediterranean. I am particularly interested in exploring how Islamic actors influenced the development of social and political thought during this time period, which is usually dominated by an emphasis on secular, enlightenment ideals.

I work on primary sources in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, Spanish, French, and Italian collected during two years of archival research in Morocco, Turkey, Gibraltar, and Dubrovnik. These texts include: travelogues, correspondence, biographical dictionaries, and diplomatic manuals. My research demonstrates how Moroccan and Ottoman actors imbued an Islamic sense of universal mutual friendship and just witnessing into their burgeonining role as international intermediaries.

I offer classes in:

• Middle Eastern History
• Islamic Studies
• Mediterranean Studies