Ruben Arami Safrastyan (; born 5 October 1955) is an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

historian and

Turkologist Turkology (or Turcology or Turkic studies) is a complex of humanities sciences studying languages, history, literature, folklore, culture, and ethnology of people speaking Turkic languages and the Turkic peoples in chronological and comparative c ...

who specializes in Turkish, Ottoman, genocide, Middle Eastern and regional studies. He is currently a professor of history and Turkish studies at

Yerevan State University Yerevan State University (YSU; , , ), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919, it is the largest university in the country. It is thus informally known as Armenia's ...

and a full member (Oriental Studies) of the

Armenian National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) (, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri azgayin akademia'') is the Armenian national academy, functioning as the primary body that conducts research and coordinates activ ...

. He was director of the Institute of Oriental Studies from 2006 to 2020. He has also served as a counsellor of the Armenian Embassy in Germany. Safrastyan has authored or edited more than 40 books and more than 220 articles and papers. He is also the founding editor of the academic periodicals ''Turkic and Ottoman Studies'' (since 2002) and ''Contemporary Eurasia'' (2012-2020), as well as editor of the academic yearbook ''Countries and Peoples of the Near and Middle East'' (Yerevan, Armenia). Since 2021, he has served as the Counselor of the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the

Biography

Ruben Safrastyan was born on 5 October 1955 in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

. He is the grandson of noted Armenian Turkologist and educator Aram Safrastyan. In 1977, he graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies of

. From 1978 to 1980, he conducted his graduate studies on world history and Turkish history at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. In 1999, he won the

Humboldt Prize The Humboldt Research Award (), also known informally as the Humboldt Prize, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of Germany in recognition of ...

and conducted research for a year at

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began ...

in Germany. In 2001, he received a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

and conducted for a year at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. The next year, he received a fellowship to conduct research for a year at the

Central European University Central European University (CEU; , ) is a private research university in Vienna. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in the social sciences and humanities, which are accredited in Austria and the United States. The univ ...

in Budapest. He received the degree of Doctor of Historical Sciences in 2009. He became a corresponding member of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences in 2010 and a full member in 2014. Safrastyan's honorary international activities include membership on the International Board of World Security Network Foundation, N.Y. (USA). He is also Senior Fellow at New Westminster College,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

(Canada), and Senior Analyst at Wikistrat Inc,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(USA). Safrastyan is a Member of Public Council of Armenia and Chairman of the Commission of Religion, Diaspora, and International Integration. For his professional achievements, Safrastyan has received several state awards, most notably the

Movses Khorenatsi Medal The Movses Khorenatsi Medal () is Armenia's highest cultural award. It is presented by the president of Armenia to people who have significantly contributed to the advancement of Armenian culture. Artist Richard Jeranian received the medal in 201 ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

's highest cultural award. Safrastyan is a fan of the

English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

football club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Sources

External links

Ruben Safrastyan's biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safrastyan, Ruben Historians of Turkey 1955 births Academic staff of Yerevan State University Living people Armenian orientalists Soviet orientalists