Research fellow in the Social Geography working group at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Master of Arts Sociology at the Bielefeld University with a focus on Sociology of Global World and Social Anthropology
Master Thesis: “Spatial Meaning-Making in Antiracism Mobilization: Constructing Spatial Solidarities (with)in a Public Square in a German City”
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and International Relations in Istanbul
PhD Project
Everyday Activist Geographies in Turkey
Over the past decades, debates in movement studies have focused heavily on the spatial dimension of collective action that characterizes the field of social movements and human geography, which has also recently favoured the inclusion of everyday geographies of activism and solidarity-making from below. The debates stem from the key argument, in contrast to the strong emphasis scholars have put so far on macro influences of the global crisis, that there is a need to direct attention to the emancipatory potential among everyday micro-examples.
Drawing on studies of the micro spatialities of contentious actors and inspired by the everyday critical geographies, I aim to broaden and deepen investigations of the everyday practices within the activist geographies in Turkey. The purpose of the doctoral project is to answer a central question: How do the socio-spatial sources and practices in ‘everyday activist geographies’ under authoritarian conditions contribute to the perseverance of hope and solidarity-making? The project will draw on ethnographic research based on mixed-method qualitative approaches of which I incorporate participatory action research and narrative interviews. My goal is to scrutinise the spatial register of activism rooted in concrete places by focusing on how activism, resilience, and solidarity are experienced, learned, and negotiated in everyday life. I do so by tracing socio-spatial sources (e.g., encounters and learning) and practices (e.g., political/emotional investments and interpersonal relations) to capture their significance for activism and interplay with authoritarianism.