Research Institute for Social Sciences

Ilia Xypolia joined SPIRE in 2009 to undertake PhD research in the field of Politics and International Relations. Her PhD thesis is funded by the Greek State’s Scholarship Foundation (IKY). She holds an MSc in International and European Studies from University of Piraeus with Distinction. Ilia did her undergraduate studies in Political Science at the University of Athens, during which she also studied at the University of Warsaw.

Ilia is a Sessional Tutor in the School of Politics and International Relations for the core module PIR-10037- ' Introduction to Global Politics'.

Ilia’s PhD dissertation in progress is based on extensive primary source research and investigates the impact of British imperial rule on the development of Turkish Nationalism in Cyprus. Her research interests include: Middle Eastern History; Colonial studies; Foreign Policy Analysis; Politics of Identity and Nationalism; Religion and World Politics; Imperialism and Ethnic Conflict.

Selected Publications:

•  Xypolia, I. (2011), Cypriot Muslims among Ottomans, Turks and British, Bogazici Journal, 25:2, pp 109-120.

• Xypolia, I. (2011), Orientations and Orientalism: The Governor Sir Ronald Storrs, Journal of Islamic Jerusalem Studies, 11:1, pp 25-43.

• Xypolia, I., (2011) Apart. Alienated and Engaged Muslims in the West (Justin Gest), Cambridge Review for International Affairs, 24:3, pp 549-550 (book review)

• Xypolia, I., (2010) Mediterranean Frontiers (eds. Nicolaidis, Bechev), Nations and Nationalism, 16:4, pp 777-778 (book review)      

Selected Conference Papers:

•  Xypolia, I. (2011) Divide et Impera and Radicalise: Imperialism and Nationalism, Postgraduate and Early Career Seminar, Institute for Historical Research, University of London, October 2011

•  Xypolia, I. (2011) Please Mind the Context: Nationalism in Cyprus, 5th Biennial HO PhD Symposium on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus, LSE, June 2011

•  Xypolia, I. (2011) Contextualizing the emergence of Turkish Nationalism in Cyprus, 7^th Annual Research Symposium, Keele University, May 2011

•  Xypolia, I (2011) Muslim Cypriots among Ottomans, Turks and the British, Ottoman/Turks in Conflict Conference, Columbia University, April 2011

•  Xypolia, I (2011) The Inbetweeners: Muslim Cypriots in search of a national identity. Developing the Social Sciences: A postgraduate research conference, Keele University, March 2011

•  Xypolia, I (2011) The Turkish Cypriot National Identity, 2^nd Graduate Conference “Comparative Research on Turkey in connection to the Globalization process”, Department of Political Sciences and IR, Bogazici University, April 2011

•  Xypolia, I. (2011) British Imperialism and Turkish Nationalism in Cyprus between the Wars, Exploring the History of Cyprus, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, March 11 2011

•  Xypolia, I. (2010) Orientations and Orientalism: The Governor Sir Ronald Storrs, Academy of Islamic Jerusalem Studies, 12^th International Academic Conference on Islamic Jerusalem Studies, ‘Orientalist Approaches to Islamic Jerusalem, SOAS, University of London, November 2010

• Xypolia, I. (2009) The Rise and the Evolution of Turkish Cypriot Nationalism, Postgraduate Research Conference ‘The Sky is the Limit’, Research Institute for Law, Politics and Justice, Keele University, November 2009