Yunus Emre InstituteA Talk by Ayşe Gür Geden (UCL)
Yunus Emre Institute in London is delighted to host its first online talk of the Young Scholar Seminar Series with Ayşe Gür Geden on “The Making of Brokers: A Study on African Students in Turkey’s Universities” on Sunday, 26th of April 2020 at 18.00 (BST).
Internationalisation of higher education (IoHE) has shaped trends and strategies for higher education institutions in various corners of the world. Although well established in universities in the Global North, the aims of these strategies and their accompanying rationales often differ from those of the higher education systems of developing and non-Anglophone countries in which IoHE is a relatively more recent phenomenon. This is the case of Turkey where such strategies aim to form ties with regions which are of strategic importance. Among these regions, the Sub-Saharan Africa holds enormous potential for economy and diplomatic relations.
The study therefore investigates the bridging role expected from Sub-Saharan African students receiving education in Turkey’s higher education institutions. Drawing from sociolinguistic ethnography, it explores students’ individual trajectories and institutional spaces including universities, NGOs, student-led societies, trade organisations and public offices where they engage with civil society and state actors. As these processes are enabled by students’ Turkish and English language learning as well as their linguistic repertoires, the research also hones in on the role of language in gaining access to the institutions which help students acquire various forms of capital as well as immediate and future opportunities.
Date: Sunday, 26th of April 2020
Time: 18:00 (BST)
The Talk will take place through ZOOM, an online platform.
For online booking please CLICK HERE.
Ayşe Gür Geden received her bachelor’s degree in Western Languages and Literature from Bogazici University and worked as an English language teacher at higher education institutions for five years. She then received her master’s degrees in Sociology from Istanbul University and in Applied Linguistics from King’s College London. Currently, she is a doctoral student in the Department of Culture, Communication and Media at UCL Institute of Education.
This talk forms part of the Young Scholar Seminar Series organised by Yunus Emre Institute in London.
Photo Credit: AFP PHOTO/GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP PHOTO / GIANLUIGI GUERCIA