Assistant professor Semih Gokatalay specializes in the history of the modern Middle East. Dr. Gokatalay teaches advanced courses in Middle Eastern history as well as the two-semester World History sequence. He came to VMI in 2025 after receiving his doctoral degree from the University of California, San Diego. His research focuses on economic history, nationalism, capitalism, diplomacy, gender, children, and state-society relations in the modern Middle East. He has published scholarly books, articles, and chapters on the region鈥檚 history.
At VMI, Gokatalay directs the Middle Eastern Studies minor.