MVC Professor to Sign Copies of New Book

Missouri Valley College Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Nick Petrov recently released his new book entitled “Robert College of Constantinople: Crossroads of Faiths, Cultures, and Empires 1863–1913.”

A reception will be held for the release of Dr. Petrov’s book at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20 in the Murrell Library Reading Room on the Missouri Valley College campus. There will be a brief overview of the project by the author, an informal question and answer period and a book signing at the reception. Refreshments will be provided.

In 1863, Protestant missionaries established Robert College in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, holding the distinction of being the pioneer American college abroad. In manycases, the American educators at Robert College understood the field of education as a superior tool for mission.

The book brings into conversation the convergence of the Protestant mission movement in the Ottoman Empire with the diverse tones of American efforts for providing education and assisting of the economic and social progress. The story of Robert College in Constantinople is a fascinating account for examining the influence of United States foreign affairs and culture on various aspects of society in the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Ottoman Empire.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the reception. The book is also available for purchase online at https://rowman.com.