Vefa Erginbas

Vefa Erginbas serves as Associate Professor of History in the Department of History & Classics at Providence College, where she teaches courses on Ottoman and Islamic history. Her academic profile includes a Scopus h-index of 28, reflecting significant scholarly impact in her field.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History, The Ohio State University (2013)
• M.A. in History, Sabanci University (2005)
• Dual B.A. in History and Sociology, Bogazici University (2003)

Professor Erginbas specializes in the religious and intellectual history of the Ottoman Empire, with particular expertise in Sunnism, historical writing, and the appropriation of Islamic history. Her research examines how Ottoman historians constructed religious authority through narratives of Islamic history and prophetic lineage, especially regarding Yazid ibn Muawiya and ahl al-bayt traditions. She investigates the interplay between political legitimacy and religious orthodoxy during critical periods of Ottoman state formation and confessionalization.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent focus on Ottoman Sunnism's evolution from the 14th to 18th centuries, with increasing attention to gender dynamics and cross-cultural influences in later works. Her scholarship bridges Ottoman studies with broader Islamic intellectual history, challenging monolithic interpretations of Sunni orthodoxy through meticulous textual analysis of chronicles, fatwas, and biographical dictionaries.

Scientific Recognition:

• Dissertation Fellowship from Turkish Cultural Foundation

Professor Erginbas has secured competitive research funding including a Turkish Cultural Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for her work on 'Islamic Historical Writing in the Ottoman Empire to 1800' and Providence College's Committee on Aid to Faculty Research grant (2014-2015). Her scholarly output comprises 7 major contributions including monographs, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Ilahiyat Studies, with significant emphasis on reviewing foundational works in Ottoman religious history.