RICHARD L. CHAMBERS: A LIFE IN TURKISH STUDIES

Abstract

Richard L. Chambers was a professor of Turkish language and history at the University of Chicago. Finding material for this essay on his life was extraordinarily difficult; for a long time it was impossible even to find a copy of his CV. He never published his own book, that advertisement for scholarship that is characteristic of academics. There is not even a gravestone, as he declined to be buried in the family cemetery plot, nor was there a memorial service. He used to complain that he received no recognition for what he had done, but he did not seek recognition or parade his accomplishments. Yet his life and academic career parallel and intertwine with the development of Middle Eastern and Turkish studies in America, to which he made important contributions. This essay was put together through Google searches, speeches that he himself gave on the development of Turkish Studies, contributions from those who knew him, and at long last, a rather skimpy CV. The result is only a sketch, a mere outline, of his many activities and contributions.