Short Academic Background of Irini Sarioglou-Scott

Following my graduation from the Zappeion High School for Girls in 1990, I studied French Language and Literature at the University of Marmara. There, I obtained a WCC scholarship in order to study French Language and Literature at the University of Grenoble in France.

By 2000 I had completed my postgraduate studies which were supported through an Onassis Foundation scholarship and a scholarship from the Hellenic State Foundation: a postgraduate diploma in Business Studies from the University of Birmingham, a Masters in European Studies from the University of Marmara/Institute of EC studies, and a PhD at the Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, Birmingham University. During my studies in England I attended conferences and seminars specializing in Ottoman and Turkish history held in the UK, Greece and Turkey – countries where the majority of my research was conducted. Elements of this work were subsequently published.

In May 2004 my PhD thesis entitled ‘Turkish Policy towards Greek Education in Istanbul, 1923-1974 – Secondary Education and Cultural Identity’ was published in English by the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive. Thereafter, I started research on a study entitled “Zappeion School for Girls – the Life and Works of Konstandinos and Evangelos Zappas, during the late Ottoman period”.  I currently teach contemporary Turkish history at the newly established department of Turkish Studies at Athens University. I am also in the process of translating my PhD thesis into Greek.

From July 2000 to August 2003 I was the Press and Information officer at the Australian Embassy in Athens. Additionally I am also a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, London, the Public Record Office, London, and the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive, Athens. I am fluent in Greek, Turkish, French and English.