Tugba Iyigun

Profile

Biography

I am a researcher whose interests centre on gender, sexuality and inequalities, with broader research interests in racism, migration, authoritarianism and counter-terrorism policies. Before moving to the UK in 2005, I worked as a journalist in Turkey. Since then, I have been engaged in community-building activities and activism, including working with migrant communities in Nottingham as part of the Long Journey Home migrant project between 2005 and 2007. Overall, I have more than two decades of experience engaging with community-building initiatives and activism.

I completed my BA in Social and Political Sciences and MA in Applied Human Rights at the University of York. During my undergraduate studies, I worked as a Course Representative and Student Ambassador. During my postgraduate studies, I was awarded a travel grant by the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York, which enabled me to undertake fieldwork in South Africa as part of my studies.

Alongside my academic work, I have been involved in human rights advocacy and campaigning. Most recently, I have led international communications and campaigning efforts relating to the case of Hakan Tosun, an ecology activist and journalist whose killing has raised serious human rights concerns in Turkey.

My current PhD research at the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies examines trans visibility and digital activism in Turkey within an increasingly authoritarian political context. Using digital ethnography alongside semi-structured interviews, the project explores how trans communities construct and sustain visibility, negotiate digital spaces, and engage in resistance and community-building under conditions of surveillance and censorship.

Education

·       PhD in Sociology, Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies, University of York — 2026–present

·       MA Applied Human Rights, University of York — 2024–2025

·       BA Social and Political Sciences, University of York — 2021–2024