Zümray Kutlu

Zümray Kutlu received her B.A. and M.S. in Sociology from Middle East Technical University, her M.A. in Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Essex, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from İstanbul Bilgi University. She previously taught at Hampshire College, Istanbul Bilgi University, and Bahçeşehir University. Her teaching and research focus on refugees, human rights, urban inequality, and NGOs. She also worked for over 15 years in various NGOs, including Anadolu Kültür, where she developed and supervised projects on participatory policy development, cultural rights, cultural heritage, and refugees.

Recently, Kutlu co-edited an oral history book, "Thesis 11: Memories that Linger", which includes interviews with members of the Advisory Board of a political journal published between 1985 and 1992 in Turkey (Agora, 2024, in Turkish). She is also the co-editor of "Refugees on the Move: Crisis and Response in Turkey and Europe" (Berghahn, 2022). Kutlu's current research focuses on the lives of refugees in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts.

At Smith, Kutlu teaches comparative politics and international relations. Her courses include International Human Rights, Introduction to Comparative Politics, NGOs in World Politics, and Colloquia on Refugee Politics and Global Cities. She also offers a seminar on Nationalism, Islam, and Democracy in Modern Turkey. She serves on the Advisory Committee of the Community Engagement and Social Change Concentration.

Selected Publications

“Refugees on the Move: Crisis and Response in Turkey and Europe”, 2022, Berghahn Publications (Eds. with Erol Balkan).

“Is Participatory Local Policy Development Possible? The Case of Çanakkale”, 2017, Research and Policy on Turkey, 2:1, 90-104.

“Endless Escape: From Syria to Turkey, Then to Europe,” 2016, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, April, Vol: 16, No:1, 121-134.

“Participation and the Right to the City: The Case of Turkey,” 2015, METU Studies in Development, 42, 457-480.