Defne Kadıoğlu Polat was born in 1984 in Germany to Turkish parents. She graduated from the University of Düsseldorf's Social Sciences Department and obtained her Master's degree from the University of Essex in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights. In 2008 she moved to Istanbul. After a year of work in civil society she assumed her PhD Studies at Boğaziçi University in the Department of Political Science and International Relations. From 2010 until 2015 she was the executive assistant of the Boğaziçi University-TÜSİAD Foreign Policy Forum. In winter 2012/2013 she was a Visiting Doctoral Researcher at Humboldt University’s Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences (BGSS). During her time at BGSS, Kadıoğlu Polat conducted her field research in Berlin’s Neukölln borough on the effects of gentrification on immigrant residents from Turkey. She defended her PhD Dissertation titled "Migrants and the City: Gentrification, Ethnicity and Class in a Berlin Neighborhood" in 2015. Her research focuses on the nexus between social inequality and neoliberal urban governance, more particularly on the relation between racism, class, and gentrification.
“There is nothing quite like Tophane”: A Case Study of Gentrification in Istanbul
2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellow Defne Kadıoğlu Polat‘s report There is nothing quite like Tophane: A Case Study of Gentrification in Istanbul was published in October 2016.
Based on a field study in Istanbul’s Tophane neighborhood, this report examines the effects of gentrification on long-term residents. It raises questions such as what Tophane means to its residents, how the social fabric of the neighborhood is affected by the gentrification process, what forms of social exclusion and conflict emerge as new middle- and upper-class residents as well as tourists come to Tophane, and what the relation of residents is with the local and national government.
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Welcoming of the 2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellows
We welcome our 2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellows, Christiane Fröhlich, Defne Kadıoğlu Polat, Çetin Çelik, Peter Mock, Hande Paker and İlke Toygür.
Christiane Fröhlich | Climate Change and Migration
Defne Kadıoğlu Polat | A Tale of Two Gentrifying Cities: Berlin and Istanbul
Çetin Çelik | Comparing School Opportunity Structures in Turkey and Germany
Peter Mock | Crossing the Bridge: Policies for Clean Vehicles in Turkey and Germany
Hande Paker | Politics of Climate Change at the Crossroads of Local and Transnational
İlke Toygür | Political Parties and Elections in Turkey and Europe: Challenge for Democracy?
“There is nothing quite like Tophane”: A Case Study of Gentrification in Istanbul
2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellow Defne Kadıoğlu Polat’s report “‘There is nothing quite like Tophane’: A Case Study of Gentrification in Istanbul” was launched on December 19, 2016 at IPC with the participation of Ayşe Öncü, Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sabancı University, as a discussant.
Investigations of Urban Scenes: The New Middle Classes, Urban Amenities, and the Proliferation of the Scene
2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellow Defne Kadıoğlu Polat convened a seminar titled "Investigations of Urban Scenes: The New Middle Classes, Urban Amenities, and the Proliferation of the Scene" with Jan Rath, Professor of Urban Sociology at the University of Amsterdam on June 1, 2016 at IPC.
Democratizing the City: Urban Citizenship in Buenos Aires and Istanbul
IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative convened a seminar titled “Democratizing the City: Urban Citizenship in Buenos Aires and Istanbul” by Mert Arslanalp, Visiting Professor at Özyeğin University, on April 18, 2016 at IPC. The event was initiated by Mercator-IPC Fellow Defne Kadıoğlu Polat with Çağlar Keyder, Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow and Professor at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Koç University, participating as a discussant.
Welcoming of the 2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellows
The Welcoming of the 2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellows was held on October 5, 2015 at Feriye Restaurant. The event began with welcoming remarks by Fuat Keyman, followed by remarks from Rüdiger Frohn. The welcoming remarks were followed by a movie screening that introduced the 2015/16 Mercator-IPC Fellows Christiane Fröhlich, Defne Kadıoğlu Polat, Çetin Çelik, Peter Mock, Hande Paker and İlke Toygür.
