Susan Rottmann, PhD

Dr. Rottmann obtained her B.A. degree in Comparative Religion from Cornell University in 2001, her M.A. degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006, and her Ph.D. degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012.  She has received several major research grants, including a Fulbright-Hays DDRA and grants from the Social Science Research Council, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the American Research Institute in Turkey and the Institute of Turkish Studies. Currently, Dr. Rottmann is studying gender and belonging for migrants between Syria, Turkey and Europe through inter-disciplinary field research as a Primary Investigator for the European Union-funded HORIZON 2020 project, RESPOND – Multilevel Governance of Mass Migration in Europe and Beyond. Her recent book, In Pursuit of Belonging: Forging an Ethical Life in European-Turkish Spaces (Berghahn Books – 2019) draws on an established tradition of life story writing in anthropology to convey the struggle to forge an ethical life as a Muslim woman in transnational space. She loves to incorporate her research into her teaching and to include students in her research. She encourages students to be curious and critical, to bring their experiences into the classroom and to apply what they learn about social science to their own lives.

Dr. Rottmann grew up in Blue Hill, Maine and worked as an Americorps VISTA volunteer for the City of Lewiston Somali Resettlement Project in 2003-2004. She has lived in Switzerland and Germany, and today she spends much of her time in Istanbul, Turkey. However, she loves Portland more than any other place she has ever been. Some of her interests include reading science fiction and fantasy, cooking, film, caring for animals, traveling to different countries and spending time with her family.