Elektra Kostopoulou is a Greek-American historian, whose research and publications address regional histories from the perspective of global queries, viewing them not merely as eccentric old curiosities, but as universal long-term interrogations. Dr Kostopoulou earned a PhD in History with a specialization in late/post Ottoman dynamics from Bosphorus University (Istanbul/Turkey) in 2010, becoming one of the first Greek citizens to complete a relevant doctoral degree at a Turkish state university, additionally earning the university’s annual doctoral dissertation prize. Having completed her previous undergraduate/graduate studies mostly in Greece and France, she was hitherto immersed in, as well as questioned, the Western-European scholarly traditions of Greek-Roman archaeology and history. Thus, her doctoral work and subsequent book project Of Minarets and Minotaurs: The Story of Autonomous Crete (1898-1913), has addressed regional autonomy as an example of the convoluted layers of western colonialism, dynastic mediterranean empires, and nationalism in critical discussion with the diverse trajectories of modern globalization. Following her postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University in 2011, she has moved to the US and received various grants, awards, and recognitions. She has joined the Federated Department of History at NJIT/Rutgers Newark in 2016 and has since expanded her teaching and research to engage with the urgency for humanistic relevance in the age of STEM. Although her unusual academic path follows global trajectories, it is rooted in deeply-regional particularities, which have evolved to become an initially subconscious, yet always genuine, confrontation with the dangerous tropes of epistemological hegemony within the self-destructive limitations of structural authoritarianism.

“The invitation to participate in this volume came—as so many of our contemporary interactions often do—in the form of an email from an unknown sender, we often feel inclined to overlook. My initially reluctant acceptance, however, morphed into fascination when the editor, Tarık Tüten, generously shared with me the publication details as well as his own family story. What I had thought a rather generic local project has revealed itself to be a flux of contributions, each and every one of which offer ground-breaking insights. When viewed together, the collection’s pieces shape a uniquely important scholarly mosaic that situates the manifold versions of the Archipelago centrally in the powerful historiographical symbolisms of the Mediterranean. Most vital is, of course, the story of Rhodes and of the editor’s ancestors themselves. They captivated and—in some ways—liberated me from present, overwhelming global anxieties. As a loyal believer in Archipelago… superstitions, therefore, I would argue that perhaps our collective unspoken needs have summoned these Conversations into existence, during a moment of profound uncertainty. As R.F Kuang’s masterfully expressed metaphors of contemporality suggest in Babel (2022), the right etymology produces near magic. In classical Latin, “conversatio” does not refer simply to the exchange of ideas. It is a deeply communal and ethical test as to how one behaves when moving around or forward with others. When all of us accepted the editor’s challenge, the endeavor has transformed from a manifestation of simple scholarly expertise to a genuine proposition of ethics. Unlike Latin languages’ interrogative style, the equivalent Arabic term provides with rare clarity an answer as to what constitutes the only type of ethical conversation: “mahabbet (vulg. muhabbet)”: 1. To have affection/respect for another. 2. To chat together in an affectionate/respectful way 3. -otu, the mandrake, a plant carried about to secure love. Endemic only to the Mediterranean, the mandrake/muhabbet otu (also known as the “love flower”) is a piece of our lands carried around the world to secure love. Similarly, the Conversations extended an invitation back to the Mediterranean, unearthing affectionate belongings long buried by time. The spell was done. The answer was found. For my participation in producing this speck of ‘magic,’ I’m deeply grateful as well as honored.”

Elektra Kostopoulou