Profile

Associate Professor Peter Mentzel specializes in the social and political history of the Ottoman Empire. His most recent work concentrates on the interactions between technological change and the development of ethnic and national identities among the peoples of southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. He teaches a variety of upper-division courses covering the modern history of those areas, as well as lower-division courses on Islamic and Western Civilizations. Twice nominated History Department Teacher of the Year, Dr. Mentzel also received a “Top Prof” award in 2002 from the Mortar Board Honor Society.

Dr. Mentzel is the author of Transportation Technology and Imperialism in the Ottoman Empire, 1800-1923 (AHA-SHOT, 2006). He is also the editor of a special issue of the journal Nationalities Papers (2000) focusing on Muslim minorities in the Balkans. He was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Turkey during the 1998-99 academic year and has received additional grants from Utah State University and the American Research Institute in Turkey. He serves on the Board of Editors of Nationalities Papers and is the past President of the Western Association for Slavic Studies.