The Color of Words: Ottoman Islamic Arts of the Book and the Global Novel
~ Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red at 25 ~
Duke University
November 12-13, 2026

Overview

The Color of Words conference gathers leading Ottomanists, Islamic art historians, Turkish and world literature scholars, and critical cultural theorists to explore the contexts and legacies of the award-winning multi-genre historical novel, My Name is Red. Set in 16th century Istanbul, the novel’s enduring artistic, historical, and literary engagements will be the focus of expert talks and multidisciplinary panels. Featured keynote by Orhan Pamuk.

Free and open to the public. Supported by Duke Trinity Deans, Trent Memorial Fund, Alfred A. Knopf Inc., AMES Presents, Duke University Middle East Studies Center, and Duke Arts.

Thursday, Nov. 12: Richard White Auditorium, East Campus

6:00 PM
Keynote: Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk

Friday, Nov. 13: Rubenstein Library 153 (Holsti-Anderson Rm.), West Campus

9:30 AM
Opening Plenary: Homi Bhabha (Harvard University)

10:30 AM
Panel I: Cultural Histories
Edhem Eldem (Boğaziçi University and Collège de France)
Tunç Şen (Columbia University)
Erdağ Göknar (Duke University)
Roberta Micallef (Boston University)

~12:30 PM Lunch Break~

1:30 PM
Panel II: Islamic Art & Perspective
Massumeh Farhad (Curator of Persian, Arab, & Turkish Art; Director, Freer Research Center, Smithsonian)
M. Shreve Simpson (University of Pennsylvania)
Esra Akçan (Cornell University)

3:00 PM
Panel III: Literary Worlds
Bruce Robbins (Columbia University)
Martin Puchner (Harvard University)
Didem Havlioğlu (Duke University)
Eileen Chow (Duke University)

4:45 PM
Closing Plenary: David Damrosch (Harvard University)

5:45 PM
Concluding Remarks