Ms. Corry Guttstadt

Professional Background

Corry Guttstadt received an M.A. and a B.A. in Turkish studies from the University of Hamburg in Germany. During her tenure at the Museum, she was a Ph.D. candidate in history and Turkish studies at the same institution. For her Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellowship, Ms. Guttstadt conducted research for her project, “Turkey’s Policy towards Its Jews Living Abroad during the Holocaust.”

Ms. Guttstadt is the author of several publications, including Die Türkei, die Juden und der Holocaust [Turkey, the Jews and the Holocaust] (Assoziation A, 2008); “Depriving Non-Muslims of Citizenship as Part of the Turkification Policy in the Early Years of the Turkish Republic: The Case of Turkish Jews and Its Consequences during the Holocaust” in Turkey Beyond Nationalism-Ttowards Post-Nationalist Identities (2006); “Die Turkei ist frei von Antisemitismus order Der Mond ist eine Scheibe” [Turkey is Free of Jews, or The Moon is a Disc] in KIGA: Padagogische Konzepte gegen Antisemitismus in der Einwanderergesellschaft (2006); and “Die antijudischen Ausschreitungen in Thrakien und Westturkei” [Anti-Jewish Violence in Thrace and Western Turkey] in INAMO (2004). In addition to English, Ms. Guttstadt is fluent in German, Turkish, and French and has knowledge of Spanish, Italian, Persian, Kurdish, and Ottoman.

Fellowship Research

During her tenure at the Center, Ms. Guttstadt researched the fate of Turkish Jews who were living abroad at the time of World War II, revealing Turkey’s inconsistent diplomatic position during the war. This subject has received little scholarly attention as most studies about Turkey during the Holocaust examine it as a destination of exile and as a transit country for East European Jews on their way to Palestine. Ms. Guttstadt conducted research using the Museum’s library holdings and archival documents from the Foreign Office Archives and the Turkish Embassy in France, among others.

Ms. Guttstadt was in residence at the Mandel Center from November 3, 2008 to April 30, 2009.