Episode 31: Multispecies Entanglement and Contagion in Ottoman Travel Writings and Miniatures

In this episode, LAC member Merve Tabur interviews Dr. Gizem Yılmaz Karahan. Dr. Yılmaz Karahan discusses her research on written and visual representations of disease and contagion in the writings of the Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi (1611-1682) and in the medical illustrations of an Ottoman surgeon, Şerafeddin Sabuncuğlu (1385-1468). Putting ancient Greek, Arab, and Ottoman Turkish philosophies and scientific discourses in conversation with contemporary discussions on posthumanism and material ecocriticism, Dr. Yılmaz Karahan underlines the significance of historical and cross-cultural analyses in addressing ecological and public health issues today.