IOWC PhD Students
Michael Ferguson
Michael Ferguson holds a B.A. in History from Carleton University (2004) and M.A. in Islamic Studies from McGill University (2006). His Master’s thesis, "Transportation and Communication Networks in Late Ottoman Salonica, 1800-1912" focused on role transportation and communication networks (such as railroads, steamships and telegraphs) played in the rapid growth of Salonica in the late nineteenth century. Following the completion of his M.A., Michael spent the 2006-2007 academic year teaching English in a top-ranked Private high school in Istanbul, Turkey while at the same time improving his Turkish language skills and continuing his research.
After spending the summer backpacking through Greece and Turkey, he has returned to McGill to begin his PhD under the supervision of Gwyn Campbell.
While he still styles himself as an Ottoman historian, his focus has slightly shifted to studying African slavery in the Ottoman Empire and the important role in which Africa has played in shaping the Ottoman economy and society, which he believes has gone relatively unnoticed by the majority of Ottoman historians.
His Conference Papers Include
"Towards an Environmental History of the Slave Trade in Africa: The Case of the Waday-Benghazi in the 19th Century." First IOWC Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference on Africa. Montreal, April 28 2008.
"Environmental Factors shaping the slave trade through Libya in the Nineteenth Century."Carleton Unversity Underhill Colloqiuim. Ottawa, March 7 2008
