Serdar M. Değirmencioğlu
I obtained my Ph.D. at Wayne State University (1995) and worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research (1995-97). Beginning in 1997 I held academic positions in Turkey.
I was professor of developmental and community psychology at Doğuş University when the witch-hunt against Academics for Peace was started. I was first removed from the chair position in the Department of Psychology and was fired on 29 April without a legal basis. In June 2016, I was declared a “scholar at risk” by the Scholars At Risk Network. Since September 2016, I have held visiting positions at the American University in Cairo and at the University of Macerata.
Inspired by critical and action-oriented traditions, I focus on what is contextually most relevant and yet neglected. I led grassroots action projects to facilitate young people’s participation in Turkey and published books on children’s rights and participation (2005), and later on youth participation (2009).
My most recent books focus on burning yet neglected issues: For-profit higher education and the decline of universities in Turkey (2015) and psychosocial consequences of personal debt around the world (2015). I also published a ground-breaking book on militarism and martyrdom (2014), a taboo topic in Turkey.
As a public scholar and outspoken advocate of children’s rights, I write in a daily newspaper on Sundays focusing on issues that concern children.
Recent publications
- Değirmencioğlu, S. M. & Walker, C. (2015). eds., Social and Psychological Dimensions of Personal Debt and the Debt Industry. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Değirmencioğlu, S. M. & İnal, K. (2015). eds. Yükseköğretimin Serbest Düşüşü: Özel Üniversiteler. (The Free Fall of Higher Education: Private Universities.) İstanbul: Ayrıntı Yayınları.
- Değirmencioğlu, S. M. (2014). ed., “Öl Dediler”, Öldüm: Türkiye’de Şehitlik Mitleri. (“They Said ‘Die’ and I Died”: Myths of Martyrdom in Turkey.) İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları.
- Değirmencioğlu, S. M. (2011) ed. Some Still More Equal than Others: Or Equal Opportunities for All. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
