Michiel Leezenberg, born in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 1964. Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam. Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam.
Fellow (1 September 2009 – 30 June 2010)
CREATING NEW PUBLIC SPHERES: THE FORMATION OF NATIONAL LANGUAGES IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
During my year at NIAS, I made substantial progress with a book-length study, “From Coffee House to Nation State: The Rise of New Public Languages in the Ottoman Empire”. In the course of my research, links between different languages proved even more pervasive and systematic than I had thought, forcing me to include several languages I had not originally planned to explore. Thus, the time and the facilities provided by NIAS enabled me to further pursue lines of inquiry which I could not otherwise have followed. I also finished several papers dealing with sub-parts and side issues of my project, and a number of journalistic articles. In my spare time, I finished an older project: a draft translation of the Kurdish national epic, Mem û Zîn; I was fortunate to discuss parts of this translation with both the Poet and the Translator-in-Residence.