A. Tunç Şen is Assistant Professor of History at Columbia University, specializing in the social and cultural history of the early modern Ottoman Empire and its place in the wider world. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Sabancı University in Istanbul, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Before joining Columbia, Şen taught Ottoman history and paleography at Leiden University. Şen’s research delves into how Ottoman subjects perceived their world—shaping and shaped by political, social, economic, and emotional frameworks. His first book, Forgotten Experts: Astrologers, Science, and Authority in the Ottoman Empire, 1450–1600, published by Stanford University Press in 2025, examines the contested role of astrologers in forming scientific expertise at the Ottoman court. His other published work includes studies on the history of science and divination, manuscript culture, the history of emotions, and the social history of scholarship and education in the Ottoman world. He is currently working on two additional book projects: one on early modern Ottoman education and scholarly life through emotional and microhistorical lenses, and another tracing the journey of Ottoman manuscripts into European collections.

“My brief visit to Rhodes with my family holds a very special place in my heart—not only because of the island’s beauty but also due to the profound connection I felt with its rich historical heritage. Thanks to the unmatched hospitality of Yusuf Kıbrıslı and his wife, Gülten Kıbrıslı, I had the privilege of spending a few unforgettable hours at the Hafız Ahmed Agha Library. The visit became even more meaningful upon learning that Namık Kemal had spent part of his exile at this very library nearly 150 years ago. Walking among the shelves, browsing the manuscripts, and observing the long table and chairs where he once sat made this experience deeply moving, intimately linking me to Rhodes’ Ottoman past.”

A. Tunç Şen