The Nor
man Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) mourns the loss of Dr. Ozay Mehmet, Distinguished Research Professor and Professor Emeritus, who passed away on Monday November 13, 2023, two days shy of his 85th birthday.
Born in Nicosia, Cyprus, Ozay obtained his B.Sc. Hons., from the London School of Economics in 1962, and his MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Toronto in 1965 and 1968 respectively. He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Windsor and subsequently became a Full Professor of Economics and Administration at the University of Ottawa. He joined NPSIA in 1985 as a Full Professor of International Affairs, and taught in the MA Development field until his retirement in 2004.
A prolific scholar, Ozay has published several books and over 100 articles and book chapters on economic development. He remained a productive scholar after his retirement from NPSIA, publishing historical novels on Cyprus, and other academic books on Turkey and energy security, and on energy geo-politics. His latest book on “Islamic Identity and Development After the Ottomans – The Arab Middle East” was published by Routledge this year, updating an earlier book on “Islamic Identity and Development” (Routledge, 1990).
Ozay was the founding co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies, and served as President of the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID) in 1989-1990. He was also instrumental in setting up the Centre in Modern Turkish Studies (MTS), which is housed at NPSIA.
“Ozay was a friend and mentor, and a role model when I joined NPSIA twenty years ago. In the last few years, it was great to work with him on MTS-related activities, and it was such a privilege to see his quick wit at the various academic conferences that we organized. He leaves behind an incredible legacy and I will miss him greatly.” – Teddy Y. Samy, NPSIA Director
NPSIA sends its condolences to his wife Karen, their three sons & their families.