Yener Bayramoğlu
Lecturer (Assistant Professor)

Profile

Biography

I am a sociologist of media and culture. After earning my PhD in Media and Communication from Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), I was a visiting professor in Gender and Queer Studies at Alice Salomon University of Berlin. Over the course of my career, I have taught at several German universities, including Braunschweig University of Arts and the University of Giessen, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Salzburg in Austria. My research has been supported by grants from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the German Research Foundation (DFG), and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

I currently lead the research cluster Gender, Sexuality and Inequalities in the Department and serve as co-chair of the Media, Gender and Public section of DGPuK (German Media and Communication Association). I regularly review for leading academic journals such as Ethnic & Racial Studies, Sexualities, and the European Journal of Cultural Studies, and act as an expert reviewer for DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) postdoctoral fellowship applications. My expertise on migration, the Middle East, gender, and sexuality has been featured in media outlets including The Washington Post and Deutsche Welle.

Departmental roles

Lead of Research Cluster Gender, Sexuality and Inequalities

Research

Overview

My research sits at the intersection of digital media, migration, and queer studies, with a longstanding focus on the Middle East, Turkey, and Germany. At the core of my work lies ethnography, which I combine with digital research methods and creative participatory approaches.

My research is further shaped by postcolonial theory, queer theory, and affect theory. I am particularly interested in how marginalised subjects use digital technologies to intervene in dominant forms of relationships, politics, and discourse. My previous work has examined the digital media practices of belonging among Turkey’s queer diaspora in Europe, based on multi-sited fieldwork in Berlin and London. I have also explored how Middle Eastern and North African migrants use digital media to navigate everyday life, foster belonging, and develop new visual languages.

In addition, I have investigated how social media platforms accelerate the circulation of conspiracy theories, hate speech, and disinformation, particularly in times of crisis. In collaboration with computer and data scientists, I have experimented with new digital methods to detect conspiracy theories. I have also examined how intersectional inequalities shape life courses and influence perceptions of time.

I currently supervise PhD students working on topics including digital media, diaspora, and queer studies.

Publications

Selected publications

Please check my google scholar and PURE pages for a detailed publication list.