Lerna Ekmekcioglu, the McMillan-Stewart Professor of History, has been appointed head of the History Section, effective July 1. Agustín Rayo, the Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, stated, "Lerna is an exceptional scholar and a proven leader. I am confident that she will guide the unit with thoughtfulness, wisdom, and a deep commitment to its continued success. I very much look forward to working with her in the years ahead."
Ekmekcioglu, who joined the MIT faculty in 2011, is a historian of the modern Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, and Turkey, Armenian history, gender, feminism, genocide, and minority politics. She served as the director of the Program in Women’s and Gender Studies from 2022 to 2025, where she remains an affiliated faculty member. Ekmekcioglu succeeds Malick Ghachem, who was named head of the History Section on July 1, 2023.
“As I begin this new role, my first priority is to sustain and expand the remarkable momentum already underway in the unit. It is truly an exciting moment to be head of History,” Ekmekcioglu said. She cited the History of Now, launched in 2025, as one of several exciting initiatives underway, adding that her role will be ensuring the section’s projects are sustainable, visible, and intellectually fruitful.
“The work ahead is both practical and intellectual: supporting faculty research and teaching, sustaining new initiatives, expanding public engagement, and demonstrating why historical inquiry is indispensable to MIT’s mission,” she stated.
Ekmekcioglu’s first monograph, “Recovering Armenia: The Limits of Belonging in Post-Genocide Turkey” (Stanford University Press, 2016), explored the Armenian community in Turkey after the Armenian Genocide and the limits of minority belonging in the early Turkish Republic. It won the Der Mugrdechian Society for Armenian Studies Outstanding Book Award. Her forthcoming book, “Feminism in Armenian: Lives and Texts Through Empire, Genocide, and Diaspora,” co-authored with Melissa Bilal of UCLA, continues her long-standing work on Armenian feminist thought, activism, and archives across empire, violence, and dispersion.
Ekmekcioglu is a 2016 recipient of the James A. and Ruth Levitan Award for excellence in teaching. She also organizes the biannual McMillan-Stewart Lecture Series on women, gender, religion, politics, and law across the Middle East and North Africa. Ekmekcioglu earned a BA from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul in 2002 and a PhD from New York University in 2010.
Blogger's Review: Ekmekcioglu's appointment signifies a new chapter for the History Section in academic research and public engagement. Her extensive background and research achievements are expected to enhance the importance of history in contemporary society, particularly regarding gender and minority issues. We look forward to her innovative contributions and developments in the field.