Ph.D. Candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology
232 Bay State Road, Boston, MA | begum@bu.edu | begumergun.com
Education
Boston University, Boston, MA
Ph.D. Candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology (Matriculated September 2021)
- Dissertation Committee: Dr. Merav Shohet (Chair), Dr. Ayşe Parla, Dr. Kimberly Arkin
- Tentative Dissertation Title: Homemaking in Exile: Care, Estrangement, and Somatization among Syrians in Turkey
Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
B.A. in Sociology and Psychology, magna cum laude (2017–2021)
Research Interests
Care, politics of care, and humanitarianism; home and homemaking experiences; culinary heritage; food (in)security; migration, displacement, and disaster studies; affect and emotion; Middle East; psychological, medical, and political anthropology.
Fellowships, Grants, & Awards
- CURA Fellowship – BU Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (2026–2027)
- Campagna-Kerven Graduate Fellowship – Boston University (2026–2027)
- CISS Summer Mini-Grant – BU Center for Innovation in Social Science (2026)
- Teaching Funding for Experiential Learning and Visual Ethnography – BU Anthropology (2026)
- Beatrice and John Whiting SPA Biennial Travel Grant (2025)
- Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant (2024–2025)
- Long Term Graduate Research Abroad Fellowship (GRAF) – Boston University (2025)
- GSO Conference Travel and Research Grant – Boston University (2024)
- Society for Psychological Anthropology & Robert Lemelson Foundation Fellowship (2022)
- American Ethnological Society (AES) Summer Fieldwork Grant (2022)
- Dean’s Fellowship – Boston University (2021–Present)
- TÜBİTAK Fellowship & Koç University Full Academic Scholarship (2017–2021)
- Turkish Education Foundation High Honors Fellowship (2017–2021)
Publications & Creative Works
Selected Publications
- Ergün, B. “The Somatization of Catastrophes: Embodied Temporalities and the Ecologies of Care in Post-Earthquake Turkey.” (Manuscript in preparation).
- Ergün, B. “Experiential Learning and the Anthropological Witness in the AI Era.” Social Anthropology. (Forthcoming).
- Ergün, B., Kahraman, R., & Güngörür, K. “Rethinking Return Pathways of Syrian Migrants in the Periphery of Istanbul.” Mediterranean Journal of Humanities. (Forthcoming).
- Ergün, B. “Fragments of Liberation: Celebrations, Anxieties, and Uncertain Futures.” Jadaliyya. (Jan. 2025).
Film & Media
- Hands of Exile: Making a Home with Foodways | Director & Producer (2024–Present)
Three-part sensory ethnographic documentary series following displaced Syrian women, examining cooking as a mechanism for reconstructing home. Currently in post-production.
Research & Fieldwork Experience
Ethnographic Fieldworker | Boston University (2021–Present)
- Conducting longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork in Istanbul’s periphery analyzing ecologies of care and homemaking practices among Syrian families amidst economic volatility and deportation regimes.
- Employing multimodal/sensory methodologies to investigate how displaced women negotiate memory and belonging through culinary heritage.
- Facilitating community-based workshops utilizing feminist pedagogies and visual storytelling for displaced youth.
Research Assistant | 3R Research Lab & KU Mental Health Lab, Koç University (2020–2021)
- Contributed to quantitative/qualitative research on substance use disorder stigmatization, end-of-life ethics, and HIV-related stigma.
Teaching Experience
- Instructor of Record: AN 210: Medical Anthropology, Boston University (Spring 2026)
- Graduate Teaching Fellow: AN 210: Medical Anthropology; AN 101: Intro to Sociocultural Anthropology, Boston University (2022–2024)
- Undergraduate Teaching Fellow: SOCI 402: Media, Culture, and Society, Koç University (2021)
Presentations and Conferences
- Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSPS) Annual Meeting (Aug. 2026) – Living on the Edge of Belonging: Racialization, Poverty, and Migrant Lifeworlds in Urban Turkey
- International Sociological Association RC21 2026 Conference (July 2026) – Estrangement in Exile: Homemaking, Urban Marginalization, and the Somatic Cost of Holding On
- International Sociological Association RC21 2026 Conference (July 2026) – Knitting the Roof Together: Ecologies of Care as Urban Infrastructure
- AI and Anthropological Pedagogies Symposium (June 2026) – From Clinical to Synthetic Gaze: Experiential Learning and the Anthropological Witness in the AI Era
- GAPs 2026: Navigating Return Migration (Jan. 2026) – Rethinking Return Pathways of Syrian Migrants in the Periphery of Istanbul
- Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference (Nov. 2025) – Somatization of Disasters: Rethinking Event and Embodied Temporalities in the Middle East
- Senex: Graduate Conference on Aging Studies (Oct. 2025) – “I’m Taking a Bag of Pills”: Health Ecosystems at the Intersection of Aging, Migration, and Care
- Critical Psychology Summer Camp (Aug. 2025) – From Foucault to Postcolonial Feminists: Theories of Care and Politics of Care
- Society for Psychological Anthropology (SPA) Biennial (March 2025) – The Sensory and Embodied Politics of Home and Homemaking Among Syrian Migrants in Turkey
- Harvard University Critical Disaster Studies Conference (March 2025) – Care and Belonging in Ambiguity: Homemaking Practices of Syrian Families after the Earthquake
- Havle Women’s Association Konca Kuriş Mobilization and Activism Conference (Dec. 2024) – Care, Subjectivity, and Belonging in the Light of Postcolonial Feminist Debates
- Feminist Imaginary (Feminist Tahayyül) Journal Academic Conference (Nov. 2024) – Postcolonial Feminist Approaches to Syrian Women’s Experiences of Home
- European Network for Psychological Anthropology (ENPA) Work-in-Progress Series (Nov. 2023) – Ecologies of Care and Homemaking Practices of Syrian Families in Turkey
- American Anthropology Association (AAA) Conference (Nov. 2023) – Ecologies of Care Among Syrian Migrants in Turkey
- European Network for Psychological Anthropology (ENPA) Conference (June 2023) – Embracing Changes: A Flexible Understanding of Care During the Turbulent Times
- Society for Psychological Anthropology (SPA) Biennial (April 2023) – Relational Care and Fluctuations in the Lives of Syrians in Turkey
- American Ethnological Society (AES) Spring Conference (March 2023) – Responding to Fluctuations and Ambiguities: Everyday Care Practices of Syrians in Turkey
Professional Service & Grassroots Experience
Activism, Advocacy, & Civil Society
- Social Media and Digital Content Editor, Ethos, journal of Society for Psychological Anthropology (2026–Present)
- Organizing Committee Member, VIII. and IX. Critical Psychology Symposium in Turkey (2023–Present)
- Workshop Coordinator, Tarlabaşı Community Center (2018–2019): Organized and analyzed psycho-social support programs for Syrian refugee and Dom children.
- Volunteer Coordinator & Board Member, Fikret Yüksel & FIRST Foundations (2015–2019): Directed STEM education initiatives and international youth robotics tournaments, training over 250 volunteers per event and guiding strategic planning.
- Policy & Advocacy Intern, Education Reform Initiative & Karakutu Association (2018–2019): Conducted qualitative research on cross-cultural education policies, collective memory, and advocacy for LGBTI+ and minority rights.
- Additional Roles (2018): Supported archival/library operations at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey and exhibition coordination at the Elgiz Contemporary Art Museum.
Methodologies, Approaches & Skills
- Methodologies: Sensory/visual ethnography, documentary-making, person-centered interviews, engaged research, feminist pedagogies, family-centered psychological approaches.
- Languages: Turkish (Native), English (Full Professional), Arabic (Working), French (Working).
- Computer Competencies: NVivo, Qualtrics, Photoshop, Python, Tableau, SPSS, Stata.
- Psychological Training: Trauma-informed psychosocial support, art therapy, participatory group workshops.