I am Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam.
I am recipient of a VENI grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This research (2015-2020) looks at the daily governance of migration and borders in Turkey. More information on this research can be obtained under the TRANSIT tab.
I am co-leader of the 'Europe in the World' theme of Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES) https://aces.uva.nl/research/research-themes/research-themes-lijst/europe-in-the-world.html. I am co-convener (with Tasniem Anwar) of the ACES Online Series 'Decolonising Europe': https://aces.uva.nl/content/events/events/2020/06/decolonising-europe.html?origin=104w7cWaSPm%2Bh%2FNR%2FJowcw.
I am on the editorial advisory board of Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. Also, I am an affiliated researcher at Jean Monnet Network EUMENIA as well as at FOLLOW: Following the Money from Transaction to Trial, which is a Consolidator Grant of the European Research Council (ERC) led by Professor Marieke de Goede.
I received my PhD in Political Science from the University of Tübingen (2014) with a scholarship by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the 'Europe and the World' theme of ACCESS EUROPE at the University of Amsterdam (2014-2015).
My research interests lie in International Relations, Critical Security Studies and International Political Sociology. I have worked on European Union engagement with the Southern Mediterranean with a focus on peace and conflict, counter-terrorism, socio-economic development and civil society promotion. Please visit the PUBLICATIONS tab for research ouput.
TRANSIT examines Turkey's governance of migration and borders. It focusses on everyday practices of what is called 'transit' migration in Turkey. In the context of its membership negotiations with the EU, Turkey has made a number of legal and administrative changes to 'Europeanise' its border and migration policies. TRANSIT explores to what extent such changes are reflected in the daily practices of migration and border governance by Turkish security and political professionals. The research also looks at the daily interaction between Turkish officials and migrants and asks how such interaction affects migrants' decisions.
TRANSIT (2015-2019) is funded by a VENI grant from the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) and is embedded in the Transnational Configurations, Conflict and Governance' programme group of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR).