Greetings from Philadelphia, following the Trump vs. Musk mutually exclusive dialogues

It has always been on my agenda to visit Philadelphia, and I finally did it! This will be a more touristy stay. Sinem and I got a hotel right in the historical district to see around. In fact, I am the one seeing around, Sinem is chilling out. We arrived here after an 8-hour drive, … Read more

The long May ends with Fischerfest in Boston, MA

A few minutes later, I will be attending the evening event at Fischerfest. Just sat down at the Ripple Cafe next to the MIT Museum and enjoying my coffee and a beautiful Boston day, beautiful Cambridge streets and a heavy dose of nostalgia. I am excited to see many of my professors who shaped my … Read more

The Long May: Fifth Stop, Gaziantep

The final session of the EU Delegation’s Disinformation Training program was held at Gaziantep University. EU Delegation celebrates Europe Day in a few cities in Türkiye, and one of them took place in Gaziantep. The celebration reception took place at the Zeugma Museum. My sister and her husband are stationed in Nizip, Gaziantep, so it … Read more

The Long May: Fourth Stop, Vienna

I am just back from a two-day workshop in Vienna. I am intellectually energized, as these small-scale workshops are the most productive academic sessions. It was an official meeting of the EASA Media Anthropology Network. It was great to catch up with some of the members I already knew and meet new academics. You can … Read more

The Long May Continues: Third Stop, Trabzon

We stopped by Trabzon University as part of the EU delegation disinformation project. I have a Trabzonspor jersey! Prof. Mehmet Emir Yıldız (L) honored me by saying that he had actually read my writings when he was writing his dissertation. The weather was fantastic. I had a late-night stroll at the main square. It was … Read more

The Long May Continues: Second Stop, Ankara

Our second stop on my May schedule was a workshop in Ankara. A group of NGO activists and some technicians met to brainstorm about using technology in civil society. It was organized by a collective.   Sinem and I were so tired that we could not visit any particular places, but could only meet a … Read more

A Long May Begins: First Stop, Diyarbakır

May 2025 will be full of traveling, both domestic and international. After Yozgat, my next stop was Diyarbakır (Dicle University) as part of the EU delegation seminars on disinformation. In fact, this was two days ago, but for the sake of narrative (!) I added the Diyarbakır trip to the long May (I am writing … Read more

Hailing from Yozgat, Turkey.

I have never been to Yozgat, but a full day of training on media literacy and countering disinformation allowed me to visit. The Bozok University Communication School hosted us, and I appreciated my colleagues’ efforts to be useful to their students. I did not have time to visit the downtown, but I stayed in a … Read more

In Wroclaw, for a COST meeting

As Türkiye is embroiled in boycotts and other political clashes, I am spending a few days in Wroclaw, Poland, for a COST meeting. I recently joined this project and find it relevant to my research agenda. The RELINK2 Action will intensify existing networking efforts of scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds and countries in the EU … Read more

Here is the second part of “unboxing”; Milli İstirahat and more…

After a long hiatus, here is the second post in my unboxing series. Now that we are back in İstanbul, I can start looking around the boxes with a touch of nostalgia. 2006-2008 Milli İstirahat I have spent many evenings in coffeehouses playing cards until the pandemic! I guess until 2013, I spent more time … Read more

Mission completed in Munich

Our month-long sessions resulted in a workshop at CAS (LMU) last week, and in a few months, we will have a policy paper. It is time for me to get back to Istanbul.

A weekend in Innsbruck, Austria

As a UNESCO cultural heritage site, the city was on my list for a while. As our days in Munich were about to end, we took the scenic train route to Innsbruck for a weekend. It deserves a visit with all these medieval age buildings in the old city. Here is a quick tour for … Read more

A few days of stress and anxiety

No need to be alarmed! I just got overwhelmed with the stuff I am working on. While working on several papers and projects, I have to finish up grading- and some undergraduate students are acting ruder than normal- some graduate students are disappointing- but only a few, but it still hurts me- and in the … Read more

The Eisbach Wave and some other small explorations in Munich

This is Munich’s unique surfing spot right in the heart of the city. The Eisbach Wave in the English Garden is a popular location for river surfing, making Munich one of the few cities in the world where you can catch waves in an urban setting. This man-made wave on the Eisbach River attracts surfers … Read more

Hello Munich!

We have arrived and settled. The city is still feeling Christmas, but life will be back to normal by January 7. Sinem and I will walk around and familiarize ourselves with the neighborhood. The Center of Advanced Studies building is within walking distance. Until we return on January 31, I hope to have a peaceful … Read more