The Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures is proud to announce the Bilimer Turkish Studies Initiative, devoted to enhancing the study and teaching of Turkish language, literature, culture, and history at the University of Virginia.
Established with the generous support of Zeynep Oguz Bilimer, this multi-year initiative programs public lectures, exhibits, and performances on Turkish culture that are open to students, faculty, and members of the University of Virginia community.
We build the initiative upon a foundation of a Graduate Student Fellows Program that brings an evolving cohort of graduate students together with the inter-disciplinary group of UVa faculty who teach and do research on Turkish Studies topics.
In the program’s initial semester, we programmed a book talk by University of Notre Dame American Studies scholar, Perin Gürel; a screening of the Turkish-language film The Things You Kill (2025) by acclaimed Iranian-Canadian director, Alireza Khatami; and a public lecture by UVa sociologist, Esra Sarioglu, “The Body Unburdened: Exploring Women’s Agency Outside the Global North.” See our flyer for full details on the Fall 2025 Bilimer Turkish Studies Initiative at UVa.
This spring the Initiative invites Ottoman historian, Ayfer Karakaya-Stump, to Grounds and sponsors a performance of Turkish baglama music.
(Dates and times for Spring 2026 events T.B.A.)
For more information, please contact Professor Parwana Fayyaz or Professor Daniel Lefkowitz, co-coordinators of the Bilimer Turkish Studies Initiative at UVa.