Dr Zeynep Kilicoglu

Dr Zeynep Kilicoglu

LSE Fellow in Gender and International Politics

Department of Gender Studies

Languages
English, Turkish
Key Expertise
Critical Security Studies, Migration & Refugee Studies, Feminist IR Theory

About me

I am a dedicated feminist scholar whose passion lies in researching migration and forced displacement. My work revolves around unraveling the way humanitarian organizations in Western Europe, particularly in the UK and France, construct the identities and subjectivities of women refugees and asylum-seekers. I am particularly interested in analyzing how these entities ascribe specific meanings to women's empowerment within their daily operations, with a keen focus on the opportunities provided for refugee women to amplify their authorship, visibility, and political agency.

I closely collaborate with activist networks, engaging with refugee and asylum-seeking women from diverse backgrounds. My epistemological approach involves employing ethnographic methods to co-create academic knowledge in partnership with marginalized communities. I am deeply committed to promoting inclusivity and ensuring active community engagement throughout my research processes.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey (2014) and my master’s degree in Environmental Politics and Development at London School of Economics and Political Science in London, UK (2015). I obtained my PhD degree in International Relations from Florida International University in Miami, Florida (2022), in which I specialized in Feminist International Relations Theory. Before taking on my current role at the London School of Economics, I served as a Tutor in International Security Studies at Swansea University, Wales.

Expertise Details

Critical Security Studies; Migration and Refugee Studies; Feminist International Relations Theory

Publications

Publications:

Kilicoglu, Zeynep. (2021). Contextualising Feminist Global Justice Activism: A Case Study of the Gezi Park Protests. Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, 5(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/9750

Kilicoglu, Zeynep. (2020). A Gendered Approach to the Syrian Refugee Crisis, International Feminist Journal of Politics, 22:3, 446-448, DOI: 10.1080/14616742.2020.1746681

Conference Presentations:

Kilicoglu, Zeynep. “Just Pass Us the Mic”: Deconstructing Empowerment Strategies Created by the British and French Humanitarian Organizations for Women Refugees”. Will Be Presented at the 29th International Conference of Europeanists by the Council of European Studies. University of Iceland, Reykjavick, Iceland. June 28, 2023.

Kilicoglu, Zeynep. “Reclaiming Authorship: Alternative Representations of Refugee Women in the UK”. Presented at the 28th International Conference of Europeanists by the Council of European Studies. Online. June 21, 2022.