Der Matossian earns Guggenheim Fellowship

Bedross Der Matossian, Hymen Rosen Professor in Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, stands between rows of bookshelves in Love Library. He is wearing a dark blue sport coat over a light blue dress shirt and glasses.

Jordan Opp | University Communication and Marketing

Bedross Der Matossian, Hymen Rosen Professor in Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has been awarded a 2026 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The fellowship will support his latest project, “Victims of Empires: Mass Violence in the Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia, 1774–2024.”

Bedross Der Matossian, a historian of the modern Middle East at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has been awarded a 2026 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The award is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for scholars and artists.

Der Matossian, Hymen Rosen Professor in Judaic Studies, is among 223 fellows selected for the foundation’s 101st class, representing 55 disciplines. Established in 1925, the annual fellowships recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or creative achievement in the arts.

“Professor Der Matossian’s selection as a Guggenheim Fellow is a well-deserved recognition of his outstanding and impactful scholarship,” said Pat Dussault, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His contributions elevate both the Department of History and the college, and we are proud to see his excellence recognized on a national stage.”

At Nebraska, Der Matossian focuses on interethnic relations, political violence and the late Ottoman Empire. His research explores patterns of communal conflict and coexistence, offering insight into both historical and contemporary issues in the region.

The fellowship will support Der Matossian’s latest project, “Victims of Empires: Mass Violence in the Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia, 1774–2024”

“I am currently undertaking my most ambitious project,” Der Matossian said. “Drawing on sources in eight languages, it examines two historically interconnected ‘shatter zones’ at the crossroads of Ottoman, Russian and Persian imperial legacies.

“Through a longue durée analysis, I trace how imperial collapse and its unresolved aftermath produced recurring cycles of ethnic cleansing, deportation and genocide — patterns that continue to shape the region today.”

Der Matossian joins the ranks of Husker faculty members previously recognized by the Guggenheim Foundation, including Xiao Cheng Zeng (2004), Kwame Dawes (2012), John Hibbing (2013), William G. Thomas III (2016) and Amy Burnett (2020).