My nickname "Ischtiraki" means "the Socialist" in German transcription. I am interested in the life of Friedrich Schrader (1865-1922), who used "Ischtiraki" as an alias, especially when publishing political articles during the repressive period of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. . Because he lived in the Ottoman Empire from 1891 until 1918, and worked for media close to the German SPD (Social Democratic Party), I am interested in related topics: people, who lived at that time in the Ottoman Empire, the different peoples and cultures existing at that time in the Ottoman Empire, and of course the academic and intellectual environment of Schrader. Recently I wrote contributions about the Lange family (Paul and Hans) who also played an important role in the music history of the USA.

Generally I am interested in the culture and history of what is known as the "Levant", the multi-cultural cities of the Eastern Mediterranean.