Congratulations to Prof. Elena Frangakis-Syrett on her new publication! She co-edited, with Thierry Allain and Sebastine Lupo, an issue of the French journal Rives mediterrannennes Vol. 59 (2019) titled “Smyrne fin XVIIe début XXe siècle. La mutation des négoces en Méditerranée.” The articles in the volume analyze the business of trade in the Mediterranean from the late 17th to the early 20th centuries, with particular reference to the city-port of Izmir/Smyrna and its hinterland in western Anatolia. They consider various aspects of long-distance trade from the level of family firms to the creation of limited liability incorporated companies, to tax farming, landownership and capital accumulation both in the urban and rural sectors of the Ottoman economy. An important thread in the volume is the need for effective communications and the creation of networks of kinship and trust to succeed in business.

Prof. Frangakis-Syrett is also a member of the Advisory Board of the journal Meltem, İzmir Akdeniz Akademisi Dergisi and recently gave a seminar on “Production and Trade of Cotton in western Anatolia, 18th to the early 20th centuries” (31 October 2019) and on "Kinship in Ottoman Izmir’s Business World” (1 November 2019) at the Faculty Seminar, Department of Economics, Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey.

Prof. Frangakis-Syrett has been making the most of her Scholar Incentive Award working abroad in Fall 2019 but will be back at QC this spring semester. Say hello and ask her about her travels!