Recently, students and staff gathered for an engaging afternoon hosted by the History Department and the ESHCC Derius Research Institute Research Cluster Global Futures, Colonial Pasts. Through an interactive panel discussion and research presentation, current students were invited to learn more about the department’s research culture and the opportunities for a PhD track and academic career within the history department.
The event began with our bachelor and master students hearing from an impressive panel of scholars and alumni who shared their experiences as applicants, PhD researchers and supervisors. The panel included prof.dr. Alanna O’Malley (Head of the History Department), dr. Daniel Curtis (Associate Professor in History), dr. Annie Heslinga (recently awarded her PhD at the history department), and Janset Nil Genç (International Bachelor History Alumnus and soon-to-be PhD researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin) and chair dr. Lara Green (Lecturer in History). Through the panel students were able to gain valuable insights into different academic career paths while also gaining some very useful practical advice!
Alumna Annie Heslinga was able to connect with the students as she shared how being an Erasmus Mundus Master GLOCAL student led her to pursuing a PhD in the History Department. Reflecting on her experiences, she explained how her PhD research has allowed her to focus on developing herself, her skills and her research expertise, making it an invaluable step in her professional development.
History alumni perspective: Janset Nil Genç's research journey
Following the panel, students were invited to attend a research presentation organised as part of the activities of the Global Futures, Colonial Pasts Research Cluster. For this part of the event ESHCC alumna Janset Nil Genç presented her research titled ‘Exploring the Lived Experiences of Circassian Muhajirs in the Ottoman Empire through Microhistory’.
A graduate of the International Bachelor History programme at ESHCC and one of the founding editors of the student journal History Collective, Janset discussed her research on tracing the multiple migrations of Circassian muhajir families in the late Ottoman Empire. She highlighted how her research has involved blending oral history with the use of private and state archives to reconstruct the varied experiences of these migrants and shared her experiences in designing innovative methodologies.
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Were you inspired by the Career Research Event or interested in pursuing a PhD yourself? Each year, ESHCC invites applications for internal selection for the national NWO PhD in the Humanities competition. You can find out more here!
Potential applicants are encouraged to explore staff research expertise in the History Department here.
