Cemal Kafadar is the Vehbi Koç Professor of Turkish Studies at Harvard University, where he has been a member of the Department of History since 1990. A leading historian of the early modern Ottoman Empire, Kafadar’s scholarship illuminates the cultural, intellectual, and social dimensions of Ottoman and wider Islamic history. He earned his B.A. from Hamilton College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from McGill University, and he previously served on the faculty at Princeton University from 1985 to 1989.

Kafadar’s influential scholarship challenges conventional periodizations and binaries in Ottoman historiography, particularly in relation to identity, sovereignty, and subjectivity. His seminal book Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State earned Dr. Kafadar the Turkish Studies Associations’s M. Fuat Köprülü Award and offers a nuanced reinterpretation of the Empire’s formative years, moving beyond nationalist and orientalist paradigms. Treasures of Knowledge: An Inventory of the Ottoman Palace Library, 1502/3–1503/4, co-edited with Gülru Necipoğlu and Cornell Fleischer published in two volumes by Brill, studies the contents of the Ottoman palace library during Sultan Bayezid II’s reign. Kendine Ait Bir Roma: Diyar-i Rum’da Kültürel Coğrafya ve Kimlik Üzerine, published in Turkish (roughly translates as A Rome of One’s Own: On Cultural Geography and Identity in the Lands of Rum) explores the cultural geography and identity of the historical region known as Diyar-i Rum—an area corresponding to parts of Anatolia and Rumelia. Dr. Kafadar’s research ranges widely, from manuscript culture and Sufi literature to urban life and the historiography of the Mediterranean.

In addition to his academic publications, Kafadar is known for his deep engagement with archival materials, especially Ottoman manuscripts, waqf documents, and marginalia. He has contributed significantly to the intellectual history of the early modern Islamic world and is recognized for his interdisciplinary approach, which draws from literature, philosophy, anthropology and material culture.

A gifted lecturer and public intellectual, Cemal Kafadar has played a central role in fostering critical Ottoman studies both in Turkey and internationally, and in fighting for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage in his hometown Istanbul. His work continues to inspire a new generation of scholars committed to exploring the complexities of Ottoman and Islamic pasts beyond rigid political or religious categorizations.

Gülru Necipoğlu is the Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art and Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. She earned her PhD in the History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University and holds a BA in Art History (Summa Cum Laude) from Wesleyan University.

A preeminent scholar in the field of Islamic art and architecture, Necipoğlu’s research encompasses the medieval to early modern periods, with a particular emphasis on the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires. Her work synthesizes visual analysis with intellectual history, architectural theory, and the histories of science and aesthetics.

Necipoğlu’s publications have had a transformative impact on the field. Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapi Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries is groundbreaking for its pioneering integration of architectural analysis with court ritual and imperial ideology, revealing how the palace’s spatial design functioned as a deliberate instrument of Ottoman political power. Her monograph The Topkapı Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture opened new perspectives on the role of mathematical thinking in design and earned her both The Spiro Kostof Book Award from the Society of Architectural Historians and The Albert Hourani Book Award from the Middle East Studies Association. The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire recontextualized the work of the celebrated Ottoman architect within broader cultural and political frameworks. She is also the co-editor of the influential volumes Histories of Ornament and Treasures of Knowledge: An Inventory of the Ottoman Palace Library (1502/3–1503/4), reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary approaches and cross-cultural transmission of knowledge.

Necipoğlu’s scholarship is distinguished by its philological rigor, theoretical depth, and engagement with primary sources, including architectural drawings, archival documents, and manuscripts. Her work contributes not only to the study of Islamic visual culture but also to broader conversations about early modernity, transcultural exchange, and the aesthetics of knowledge. She is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the British Academy and the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio.

Gülru Necipoğlu continues to shape the field through her rigorous research and scholarship, and her sustained commitment to teaching and mentorship.