anti-racist feminist policy-making
Expertise in the comprehensive implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Germany from an intersectional perspective
Between May 2019 and September 2022, I worked as a researcher at DaMigra (Dachverband der Migrantinnen e.V.—the Umbrella Organization of Migrant Women’s Self-Associations) in Berlin on racism and (hetero-)sexist gender-based violence.
My expertise at DaMigra lies in the intersectional analysis of a comprehensive implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Germany.
In addition to conceptualizing, organizing, and joining local, regional, national, and international conferences, seminars, and publications, I’m the co-author of the DaMigra-GREVIO-Shadow Report and Bündnis-Istanbul-Konvention Alternative Bericht.
I have also initiated, contributed, and coordinated numerous short surveys, including data analysis, policy papers, and infographics revealing the structural and institutional anti-feminist and racist discrimination and violence—demanding equal human rights for ALL in ALL areas of life:
who is DaMigra?

Since 2014, DaMigra has been the umbrella organization of migrant women’s self-associations in Germany.
This means that DaMigra brings together many women’s groups from across the country. These groups include women from different regions of the world—women who have lived in Germany for a long time, women who have fled their home countries, and women who grew up in Germany but still face unequal treatment in society.
Together, they fight for equal rights for all people and for a world where women and girls can live freely and on their own terms—regardless of what they wear, who they love, what they believe in, where they come from, their level of education, financial situation, whether they have a German passport, or whether they live with a disability.
Our goal is to empower and support women and girls so they can lead good lives in Germany. We strive to make our voices heard in society and to stand together in solidarity. In doing so, we remain independent of any political party.
selected works
from conceptualization to documentation
events :: publications :: exhibitions

Istanbul Convention in combating Femicides: Symbolic policymaking or a protective shield?
28 September 2021, Online
In cooperation with the German Association of Women Lawyers (djb) and the Representation of the European Commission in Germany, DaMigra eV, the umbrella organization of migrant women’s organizations, organized an Online conference with international experts in three languages: English, German, and Turkish.
I conceptualized the conference theme highlighting the withdrawal decision from the Istanbul Convention, curated the content, communicated with the speakers, and coordinated the partnerships.
German / English / Turkish

on Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention
23 March 2021, Online
In response to Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, DaMigra published an online statement.
I conceptualized the statement questioning the role of translational policy-makers in the case of Turkey, particularly highlighting the gender-based institutional and structural discrimination and violence in Hungary and Poland.

Short-study—We have to stop wanting them to say you can.
2020
I contributed to the proofreading of data-analysis and evaluations of the study on the political participation of migrant women* self-organizations with a focus on their lobbying and committee work.

Stop Femicides – Effectively Against Women* Murders in the European Union
06 November 2020
On the occasion of November 25th—the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the meeting of EU Gender Equality Ministers, DaMigra organized an international round table of experts on femicides, in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in Germany.
I conceptualized the conference theme and initiated the demands-catalogue, by illustrating the fundamental clusters of measures required in accordance with the related articles of the Istanbul Convention explaining the comprehensive policies to prevent femicides.
After the roundtable, the demands-catalog was published in 14 languages including the revisions of the participant experts. I contributed to the translation of the catalog from German to Turkish.
German / English / Turkish

conference documentation—Stop violence against ALL women*: Implementing the Istanbul Convention: RESERVED!
2019
I coordinated the audio-recording transcriptions of presentations, contributed to complementing the final drafts and to communication with the speakers and other partners.

#MyDigitalWomenRights and the Istanbul Convention
25 November 2019, Berlin
On the occasion of November 25th—the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, DaMigra hosted a one-day conference in Berlin, focusing on digital violence through an intersectional lens.
I conceptualized the conference theme and co-curated the content.
Moreover, I initiated an infographic, and coordinated its co-creation within team-work to be displayed at the venue.
Afterwards, I initiated and coordinated the publication of the infographic as a set of postcards in 11 languages, making it easy to share and accessible to a wider audience—all distributed free of charge.

Stop violence against ALL women*! Implement the Istanbul Convention: UNCONDITIONALLY!
06 September 2019, Erfurt
In accordance with the conference theme, I developed a participatory exhibition—aiming to collect ideas from the participant migrant and refugee women, concerning their expectations for the comprehensive implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Germany.
360-degree
data-driven information production
selected publications :: talks

Immigrant Women’s Struggle for Independent Residency Rights in Germany
The Localization of Feminism Conference Proceedings, Havle Association, 2021
The Federal German Migrant Women Association was founded in 2005 in Frankfurt, and then expanded to more than 20 cities. Women, coming from different geographies in Turkey, present diverse ethnical and religious identities in the association. They participate or organize demonstrations, hand out information flyers, and cooperate with local and international institutions for their common interests as they are basically part of worker, migrant, and feminist movements. Based on their socio-political activities in the city, in 2014, migrant women were invited to the Library of Generations. It is an artistic reminiscence project to be housed in Frankfurt Historical Museum until 2105. The principle intention in the participatory museum project is to archive the history of migrant women in the perspective of documenting their struggles through the years, achievements in the present day, and goals for the future.
Archival materials in the reminiscence box, which are produced in a series of workshops, are basically instruments for women to tell their own stories, and it includes a short story book, choir recording, 10 years anniversary book, a short-documentary, etc. Undoubtedly, posters, flyers, press releases, and especially their periodical publications “Woman” represent migrant women’s memory in Germany. Additionally, the project includes two participatory exhibitions: Firstly, “ABC of Migrant Women Association: A Female Dictionary” (Cologne, 2015; Frankfurt, 2016; İstanbul, 2016; Berlin, 2017), an A to Z list of visual and textual interrogation of socially constructed words, objects, emotions, and even colors; secondly, “World from Female Perspective!” (Berlin, 2017), exposing colorful, fighter, and collaborator environment of migrant women through photo albums, and various artistic installations.

Heirat statt homeschooling?
Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit, Oct 6 2021, Berlin/Hybrid
Schätzungen zufolge werden in den nächsten 10 Jahren 100 Millionen Mädchen vor ihrem achtzehnten Geburtstag heiraten – dies war vor COVID-19. Inzwischen geht man davon aus, dass bis zu 10 Millionen weitere Mädchen vor ihrem 18. Geburtstag verheiratet werden. Frühehen sind kein neues Phänomen und hängen mit einer Vielzahl von systemischen Herausforderungen zusammen. Die Praxis ist tief verwurzelt in geschlechtsspezifischen Ungleichheiten und diskriminierenden sozialen Normen. In diesem Format diskutieren unsere Expertinnen über die Ursachen und Auswirkungen von Früh- und Kinderehen, die Hintergründe des momentanen Anstiegs im Zusammenhang mit COVID-19 und mögliche Lösungswege, um die Zahl von Frühehen zu reduzieren. Auch wird die politische Debatte zur Anerkennung von Früh- und Kinderehen in Deutschland aufgegriffen.

“Ich verbringe hier meine Zeit sehr schön” – Solidaritätsnetzwerke der Migrant*innen, urbane Politik und die Istanbul-Konvention
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, 2021
Nurhayats Leben innerhalb der Grenzen von Kreuzberg-Neukölln zeigt, wie wichtig die Solidaritätsnetzwerke für die Teilhabe migrantischer und geflüchteter Frauen in Berlin am urbanen Leben sind. Eine vorbehaltlose Umsetzung der Istanbul-Konvention ist unverzichtbar.
project outreach
postfolio
360-degree data-driven information production
producing social media content
Conference: Istanbul Convention in combating Femicides: Symbolic policymaking or a protective shield?
I converted the jingle produced to promote the conference on Turkish/German broadcasting national radio channel Metropol FM into a video—repurposed audio and enabled data to be shared on DaMigra’s various social media platforms.
continue to explore
my portfolio and resume
portfolio*
#SelectedProjects
Migrant Women’s Memory Box
DFG Doctoral Fellowship
Vehbi Koç Foundation M.A. Fellowship
2022/23 Mercator-IPC fellowship
anti-racist feminist policy-making
#WritingForVariousAudiences
Critical Insights on Autonomous Archiving, Intersectional Feminism,
and Participatory Museology
#SpeakingAtDiverseLevels
Critical Discussions on History-Writing, Gender Equality,
and Inclusive Museum
#ParticipatoryCuratorship
publications
I coordinated and edited 4 bilingual publications in TR/GER that highlight the experiences of women immigrated from Turkey to Germany.
These books were created in a participatory process through workshops, making sure the voices of women—often left out of migration history—are recorded.
My scholarly and professional experience in autonomous archiving and intersectional research guided effectively these publications, turning community stories into lasting records as information resources for future actions—for social impact on future research, publication, and political and daily narratives.
exhibitions
I curated two participatory exhibition projects with GKB-migrant women to reconfigure patriarchal stereotypes of ‘migrant’ and ‘woman,’ by opening the stage to migrant women to tell their own narratives—in the face of institutional and structural migration history in Germany:
ABC of the Federal Germany Migrant Women’s Association: A Female Dictionary: A community-built collection of entries reflecting on the association’s experiences in socio-political, economical and cultural domains.
The World from a Female Perspective: A retrospective look at the association’s 12-year-long fighting for equal rights in Germany.
My problem-solver embracing ALL within an intersectional feminist pedagogy approach enhanced these projects’ management into power-sharing by engaging more than 200 women in total—from different regions of the country.
What if goodreads were as colorful as the literature?
Redesigning the goodreads app with a “themes” option
In the realm of literature, the conventional association of reading with me-time, nature, and tranquility has often inspired designs featuring hues of green and beige and their calming tones. However, literature itself is a vibrant spectrum, from the texts within books to their colorful covers. For my inaugural individual UX/UI design project at the Iron Hack BootCamp, I’ve opted to redesign the well-known native mobile app goodreads. This case study unfolds the journey of the vibrant “pop mode” I envisioned for goodreads.
gradmindfull: Empower your academic journey with like-minded people
Discover a holistic approach to student wellness that fosters productivity, creativity, and self-care within a supportive community — all within a single, intuitive iOS app tailored exclusively for students.
In today’s fast-paced world, where physical and mental well-being have gained paramount importance, the need for wellness apps is more apparent than ever. While many such apps offer guidance on exercise, sleep, and mindfulness, there’s a distinct gap when it comes to catering to the unique challenges faced by students. Enter gradmindfull: the all-in-one solution designed to help students relax, feel empowered, and succeed in their academic journey alongside like-minded peers. This case study unravels the story of my varied roles throughout the product design process, which I undertook for my solo UX/UI design project at the Iron Hack BootCamp.
Rediscovering Tranquility: Crafting a Digital Façade for El molí de Can Aulet
Engaging with Nature in UX/UI Design for Rural Tourism
Nestled in the serene embrace of Montseny, El molí de Can Aulet unfolds a story of tranquility, offering rustic cabins that whisper tales of nature’s beauty. Join us on a journey through the digital realms, as we reimagine the Mill’s (El molí de Can Aulet) online façade to echo the essence of “enjoy nature” and redefine rural tourism. This is the case study of our second group project assigned at the Iron Hack, Berlin-UX/UI Design bootcamp.
#SelectedPosts
Bir Oyun, Bir Hikâye, Bir Görsel Dil: Sultan’ın Dijital Kimliği
#ChronicleBuzzy: Yıllık Z Raporunun Instagram Carousel Post Hali
@muzede_drama 2024 Etkinlikleri: 1 Yıllık Takvimin Görselleştirilmesi
resume*
2022/23 Mercator-IPC Fellow at Sabancı University, Istanbul Policy Center, Sept 2022 – Aug 2023
Researcher at DaMigra e.V. (the Umbrella Organization of Migrant Women’s Self-Organizations in Germany), May 2019 – Sep 2022
Coordinator and Curator (Freelancer) at the Historical Museum Frankfurt, June 2014 – May 2023
Business Development Projects (Digital Marketing) at Pera Museum, Istanbul, Jan 2010 – Feb 2012
PhD | IGK—Berlin-New York, Toronto—Center for Metropolitan Studies, TU-Berlin, DFG Doctoral Fellow § TU Compilation Fellow, May 2015 – Feb 2021
Visiting Scholar | City University of New York, CUNY, Digital Humanities, DFG Fellow, Sept – Dec 2016
M.A. | Koç University, Istanbul, Anatolian Civilizations and Cultural Heritage Management, Koç University Fellow, Sept 2007 – Jan 2010
B.A. | Galatasaray University, Istanbul, Sociology, Sept 2003 – June 2007
scholarships
Mercator Stiftung – Istanbul Policy Center, Sabancı University, Fellowship, September 2022-August 2023
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Doctoral Research Fellowship, May 2015-April 2018
Vehbi Koç Foundation, Koç University, Anatolian Civilizations and Cultural Heritage Management, M.A. Program, Full Fellowship, 2007-2009
European Commission, Erasmus Exchange Program Fellowship, Sept. 2005- Feb. 2006
grants
DA BIN ICH: Ehe-unabhängiger Aufenthaltstitel für von häuslicher Gewalt betroffenen Migrant:innen (HERE I AM: Residence Permit Independent from the Husband for Migrant Women Affected by the Domestic Violence), Workshop with the Federal German Migrant Women’s Association, Frauenreferat Frankfurt, October – November, 2022
CAMOC Annual Conference, Travel Grant, 2023
Technische Universität Berlin, Doctoral Research Completion Grant, May – October 2018
CUNY (City University of New York)—Visiting Scholar, DFG-TU Berlin-IGK, September – December 2016
CAMOC Annual Conference, Travel Grant, CAMOC, 2019
CAMOC Annual Conference, Travel Grant, DFG-TU Berlin-IGK, 2015
tools
- Microsoft
- Google Workspace
- Slack
- Canva
- Figma
- Notion
- WordPRess
- InDesign
soft skills
- Digital culture passionate
- User-centric critical
- Solution-oriented
- Intellectually curious
- Thinking out of the box
- Persistent
Language Skills
- Turkish: Native
- English: Mastery
- German: Professional
- French: Professional
memberships
Müzecilik Meslek Kuruluşu Derneği (the Museum Professionals Association in Turkey), MMKD, Co-Founder
ICOM (the International Council of Museums), Independent Member
CAMOC (the International Committee for the Collections and Activities of Museums of Cities) / ICOM, Independent Member
certificates
WordPress Installation
UX/UI Design
MuseumPlus Grundlagen

























