Razieh Araghi was born in Iran, Tabriz. She studied for her bachelor's in English Language and Literature at the University of Tabriz. She moved to the United States in 2016 to continue her studies abroad. She finished her master’s degree in English literature at Texas State University. In 2019, Razieh started her Ph.D. studies at the University of Michigan in comparative literature. Her research interests are Translation, gender, and genre studies.
Name: Razieh Araghi
Degree, Minor, Graduation Year: Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, 2026
Hometown(s): Tabriz, Iran and Austin, Texas
How you would describe yourself:
I am an avid reader; yes, that’s why I ended up in a literature major. I am also an avid language learner. I was six when I started to learn Persian/Farsi, then English in high school, French when I was doing my bachelor's, then Turkish, and now trying to learn Arabic. Apart from what is related to my major and my academic interests, I am also an artist and a painter who enjoys drawing and painting in her free time. Now, it has been a year that I have been practicing Islamic Illumination art that I learned from my teacher back at home in Tabriz.
Tell us about your summer; where and when did your Fellowship take place?
During this summer, I was in Istanbul (June 26th to August 4th) learning Ottoman Turkish at ANAMED (Research Center for Anatolian Civilization). Prior to applying for GSIC, I had applied and was accepted for the FLAS fellowship to complete this intensive program in Istanbul. However, since the FLAS fellowship does not cover the ticket expenses, I decided to apply for the GISC 2022 fellowship to cover the expenses. It was my honor to be awarded the fellowship.
Tell us about you and your background:
I was born and raised in Tabriz, Iran. I did my bachelor’s in English language and literature at the University of Tabriz. In 2016, I moved to the United States and started my master’s in English literature at Texas State University. As I have mentioned above, I am a big fan of learning different languages and knowing about different cultures. Since I knew more than two languages at the time, I decided to apply for comparative literature. Now, I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student in comparative literature, focusing on translation and gender studies.
How did the GISC 2022 Summer Fellowship help you?
As I have mentioned above, It helped a lot with the expenses that were not covered by the FLAS fellowship to complete my six weeks language program in Istanbul.
What experiences during the summer inspired you?
This was my first time visiting Istanbul. It was great! ANAMED had scheduled some archival visits for the students to make them familiar with the archives in the city. First, we visited Süleymaniye Library, one of the largest archives in the world for Islamic manuscripts. They showed us different sections in the library and informed us about how to access the manuscripts if we plan to use them in the future. The second archive we visited was a trip to the Presidency's State Archives. All in all, the experience I had getting introduced to great professors at the program and visiting all these archives made me so excited about the project I will be completing for my dissertation. I will definitely go back and work with some of those amazing manuscripts they showed us.
What did this fellowship allow you to do?
The GISC 2022 fellowship, along with the FLAS summer fellowship, allowed me to complete a six-weeks intensive Ottoman language study and obtain the certificate.
How do you see this fellowship impacting your future?
As I have mentioned, the Istanbul trip that I completed with the help of this fellowship inspired me to go back and work on archival materials and manuscripts available in Istanbul. This great opportunity made me realize that there are valuable documents that can be added to my research project.
What drew you to the 2022 GISC Summer Fellowship, and how was your experience?
I was introduced to this fellowship by a dear friend of mine, and I am glad he mentioned it to me. It was a great experience when applying. Hanna was very helpful, and she answered my questions.
What are your dreams and goals for the future, and does your summer fellowship relate?
I will definitely be going back to Istanbul in order to work on archival research. I met many people during my stay in Istanbul in the program I was studying at. There were great professors who helped me a lot when discussing my research and amazing friends with whom I am still in touch with.
