Cahit Mete Oguz

History doctoral student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

I am a fourth year doctoral student under the joint guidance of the History and Hellenic Studies departments at SFU. I am currently in the process of writing my dissertation on a diachronic history of Byzantine Paphlagonia. Prior to this I completed an MA in Byzantine History at Bogazici University in Istanbul (Turkey), the beautiful and bustling city which got me interested in studying history in the first place. While not combing the annals of history I enjoy climbing, cycling, sci-fi novels and board-games.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

While in the process of completing up my master's thesis in Istanbul, I knew that I wanted to broaden my academic horizons by going abroad to continue my specialization in Byzantine History. The SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU seemed like a perfect fit with access to valuable faculty members across the History and Humanities departments, with Dr. Dimitris Krallis' work being especially relevant for my own research interests.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

Byzantium, or the Eastern Roman Empire, is an often misunderstood and critically understudied polity spanning over a thousand years of time. My doctoral research focuses on a specific province of Byzantium referred to as Paphlagonia spanning the north-central portion of Asia Minor. By looking at its political-economic significance via geographical links to the north shores of the Black Sea, its socio-cultural imprint across the broader imperial polity, issues of local identity and civic pride and their interplay with the broader "Romanness" of the province, and also the function of inland garrison stations across the Middle Byzantine Period, I aim to re-articulate the history of this Byzantine province and its relationship with the imperial polity based in Constantinople. This is done by focusing on written and material sources based mostly on the province itself, such as localized hagiographies and archaeological surveys.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I enjoy the capabilities of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies in inviting world renowned scholars from across the world to give talks/presentations which allows for both great exposure to different trends in academia and also for enabling me to have critical conversations which such academics relating to my own research. Furthermore, I am very happy with the teaching opportunities afforded to me via the History department and its multitude of highly interesting undergraduate courses. I have had the pleasure of TA'ing 6 of these courses so far and the experience has been very rewarding and also highly valuable for my future plans in academia.

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

I am very grateful to have been the recipient of the Graduate Dean's Entrance Scholarship (GDES) which enabled me to transition to Canada and pursue my doctoral studies with a sense of security.

Contact : coguz@sfu.ca

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