Fields of Study
- History
- Ottoman Studies
- Political, Cultural, and Social History
Areas of Interest
- Early modern Ottoman History (18th-19th century)
- History of Nomads and Tribes
- History of Kurdistan and the Jazirah
- Local Notables and Provincial Governance
Biography
Rayan Khadeer is a PhD student in the department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. His primary research interests lie in investigating the history of nomadic-pastoralist communities in the early modern Ottoman Empire as well as perceptions of these communities in broader discourses of the time.
His doctoral dissertation focuses on transformations in Ottoman provincial society, administration, and governance in Northern Syria and Kurdistan throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In particular, his research explores the relationship between changing understandings of nomadism among Ottoman elites, policies regarding the forced settlement of nomads, and the decentralization of Ottoman provincial governing practices. In exploring this relationship, he intends to show the ways in which nomads were not merely peripheral populations but rather well integrated into Ottoman provincial politics, society and economy and were active participants in the broader transformations in the Ottoman Empire during this time.
In January of 2025 he was awarded the John Freely Fellowship by the American Research Institute in Turkey for the purpose of conducting his doctoral research in Turkey. In addition to this he has also been awarded a number of other scholarships and grants throughout his studies.
Education
- MA - University of Toronto
- BA - University of Toronto
Current Supervisor(s)
Milena Methodieva