SDG 5

The University champions gender equality across academic, operational, and community spheres. The Gender and Women’s Studies programs, along with the KHAS Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Office, led seminars, feminist workshops, and Erasmus+ projects promoting gender-sensitive education. Research initiatives examined non-violent masculinities, women’s urban experiences, and gender in climate change. Students engaged in Wikipedia gender-gap projects and courses like “Gender & Diversity,” while faculty publications contributed to global discussions on feminist historiography, expat hierarchies, and the social impacts of disasters on women and children.

5.1. Events

• Lecturer Nora Tataryan: talk on women’s struggle in literature at Yaşayan Dernek, 17 February 2024.
• Lecturer Özlem Aslan – panel presentations:
• “Feminist Approaches to the Climate Crisis,” Climate Justice & Gender Workshop, Gaziantep, 4–5 November 2023
• “Climate Justice and Gender,” Sustainable Ecosystem Days, Istanbul Technical University, 8 April 2023
• “Being a Woman in the Earthquake,” online panel, 10 March 2023
• “Women’s Solidarity in Earthquakes,” Boğaziçi University, 9 March 2023
• Özlem Aslan article: “Flood disasters affect women and children the most,” T24, 23 November 2023.
• Presentation: Asst. Prof. Dr. Reyda Ergün Umuroğlu, “Republic, Gender, and Law,” Republic Centennial Symposium: The First Century and Future of the Legal Revolution, 8 December 2023.
• High School Academy: Asst. Prof. Dr. R. Orkun Güner, “Social Inequality and Law,” 7 December 2024.
• High School Law Academy: Asst. Prof. Dr. R. Orkun Güner, “Social Identities, Inequality, and Law,” 22 October 2024.
• Diplomacy Seminar Series – Women in Diplomacy, Zeynep Alemdar, 16 December 2024.
• “Being a Woman in the Earthquake,” 10 March 2023 (International Women’s Day event).
• Women’s Solidarity Campaign with Earthquake-Affected Women (8–14 March 2023, material distribution in May 2023, Konuşmamız Gerek Association).
• Feminist Perspectives on Family: “The Family in Turkey – Dreams and Realities” Research Presentation, 28 November 2023.
• Erasmus+ KA210 SCH – Gender Responsive Learning Environment through Gender-Sensitive Educators Project, Istanbul Mobility Program, 19–23 June 2023.
• 2nd International Gender for Excellence in Research Conference (GenderEX), organizer, 10–11 June 2023 (KHAS EDI).
• E-Gen Module for High School Boys (Equality Generation) – Project Launch Meeting, 28 January 2023.
• AT Gender Conference: Feminist Pedagogy of/beyond Borders, 4–6 September 2023 (co-organizer).
• “MorFest,” joint event with Istanbul City Council Women’s Assembly, 2 September 2023.
• “Training of Trainers Module for Non-Violent Masculinities – Phase I,” funded by the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, August 2023 – January 2024.
• Feminist Debates for a Sustainable Life Seminar Series I – “Feminist Perspectives on Climate Change and Policies,” speaker: Lawyer Özlem Altıparmak, 14 March 2024 (Women’s Day event).
• Feminist Debates for a Sustainable Life Seminar Series II – “Feminist Perspectives on Sustainable Municipal Governance,” speaker: Zelal Yalçın (Şişli Municipality), 27 May 2024.
• Feminist Debates for a Sustainable Life Seminar Series III – “Transformations in Turkish Agriculture and the Gender Dimension of Neo-Peasantry,” speaker: Assoc. Prof. Candan Türkkan (Özyeğin University), 5 December 2024.
• “This Is Not Love: Dating Violence Awareness Workshop,” facilitator: Social Worker Handan Dallı (for students), 2 December 2024.
• “Unjust Provocation: A Male Privilege,” speaker: Assoc. Prof. Eylem Ümit Atılgan (University of Kyrenia), 25 November 2024 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women).
• Faculty: Faculty of Art and Design | Unit/Center: Association of Women from Turkey in Berlin | Activity Type: Workshop | Activity Title: Gizem Aksu | Date: 21 July 2023 | Summary: Body and Movement Workshop for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation women migrants in Berlin. Evidence: Beden ve Hareket Atölyesi, Berlin Türkiyeli Kadınlar Derneği.png
• Faculty: Faculty of Art and Design | Unit/Center: Brave New World Producties | Activity Type: Panel | Activity Title: Gizem Aksu | Date: 16 December 2023 | Summary: Discussion on gender in art, focusing on issues and practices in Turkey and the Netherlands.[1]

5.2. Projects

• Lecturer Nurseli Yeşim Sünbüloğlu led the project “Training of Trainers’ Module for the ‘Non-Violent Masculinities’ Phase I” (August 2023 – January 2024).
• Book: International Gender for Excellence Research Conference Proceedings: Selected Papers and Abstracts, edited by Mary Lou O’Neil, 2023.
• Erasmus+ Project: Gender-Responsive Learning Environment through Gender-Sensitive Educators (31 December 2022 – 31 August 2024).
• Project Proposal: Eco-Equality: Fair Transition on the Basis of Gender Equality – submitted to the Civil Society Support Foundation Gender Equality Fund (July 2024) and the Borusan Sustainable Benefit Program (October 2024); both applications were rejected, and preparations are ongoing for submission to the Canada Fund.
• Preparation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Guide for Sahibinden.com (May – July 2024).
• Faculty: Faculty of Art and Design | Unit/Center: TÜBİTAK 1001 | Project: Gender Dynamics of Skilled Migrant Women’s Labor Migration and Urban Life Experiences: The Case of Istanbul | Program Code: 1001 | Project No: 221K001 | Project Leader: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ezgi Tuncer | Scholarship Holders: Ela Gök, Liana Kuyumcuyan, Sare Nur Avcı – MA in Architecture and Urban Studies | Project Period: 01.04.2022 – 01.11.2023 | Summary: This project investigates the socio-spatial dynamics shaping the migration, settlement, daily life practices, and urban experiences of highly educated (skilled) migrants living and working in Istanbul. It examines the migration reasons and processes of middle-class, transnational communities from the Global North and Global South, exploring their urban life experiences (home, work, social life) through the intersection of gender, nation, and ethnicity (identity and origin). It argues that these migrants, often perceived as “expats,” are in fact university-educated transnational middle classes who may also face precarity, economic crises, conflicts, and repressive regimes. The project aims to reveal discriminatory practices encountered in Istanbul and to contribute to new urban and legal policies that improve the living conditions of migrants in the city.
• Artistic Research Project | ACT – Artistic Freedom and Children’s and Youth’s Perspective in the Arts in Turkey | Project Leader: Lecturer Özlem Özhabes | Researchers: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Günsür Yüceil, Asst. Prof. Dr. Özlem Hemiş | Project Period: 01.06.2022 – 31.05.2024 | Funded by the Swedish government and initiated by the KHAS Theatre Department, this two-year research and education project focuses on children’s and youth theatre. Conducted in collaboration with Unga Klara – Sweden’s National Children and Youth Theatre, Mordem Art in Diyarbakır, and K2 Contemporary Art Association in İzmir, it aims to train future arts practitioners and support innovative practices in the field.[2]
• Artistic Education Research Project | Boundary Crossing – Artistic Research in Context | 20 March 2023 – 12 May 2023 | Partners: HKU (University of the Arts Utrecht) – Glej (Theatre/Production, Ljubljana) – Kadir Has University Theatre Department (Istanbul) | This pilot project focuses on interdisciplinary artistic production and encourages young artists to diversify their creative practices and production tools. It aims to foster research through cross-disciplinary collaboration, opening new areas of critical and creative thinking. Emphasis is placed on collective working methods and exploratory practices.
• Artistic Education Research Project | Boundary Crossing – Artistic Research in Context | 23 September 2024 – 18 October 2024 | Glej Theatre (Ljubljana, Slovenia), HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, and Kadir Has University (Istanbul) collaborated on the conceptualization and implementation of the Boundary Crossing project. Initially launched as a pilot in 2021, the project continues into 2025 as an experimental educational program connecting young theatre makers from participating countries. “Boundary crossing” refers to reaching across borders—between countries, theatre practices, thought processes, and individual working methods. The underlying methodology aims to help participants develop their theatre-making practices by negotiating multiple contexts. They learn to create and evaluate work from diverse perspectives, relationships, cultures, and roles.

5.3. Publications

• Gender inclusion: The practices of organizational development and human resource management
  Authors: Chalermchaikit, V., Kozak, M., and Preudhikulpradab, S.
  Year: 2024
• Acceptable ‘expats’ versus unwanted ‘Arabs’: Tracing hierarchies through everyday urban practices of skilled migrant women in Istanbul
  Authors: Tuncer, E.
  Year: 2024
• How do you manage? An auto-ethnographic inquiry into contemporary maternal labor
  Authors: Baliç, İ.
  Year: 2024
• Economic Policy Uncertainty and Climate Change: Evidence from CO2 Emission
  Authors: Benlemlih, M. and Yavaş, Ç.
  Year: 2024
• Examining actor–partner effects between social dominance, relationship power, sexism, and marital quality
  Authors: Ymamgulyyeva, A., Kafescioǧlu, N., and Harma, M.
  Year: 2024
• The unlimited joy, ‘once you start you can’t stop’: masculinity in domestic technology commercials in Turkey
  Authors: Karaosmanoǧlu, D., Bektaş Ata, L., and Emgin, B.
  Year: 2024
• Editorial Boards of Finance Journals: The Gender Gap and Social Networks
  Authors: Be̜dowska-Sójka, B., Tarantola, C., Mare, C., Paccagnini, A., Ozturkkal, B., Pisoni, G., Shala, A., Perri, R., and Skaftadótti, H.
  Year: 2024
• KADEM’s vision of gender justice and neopatriarchal masculinity in illiberal Turkey
  Authors: Günay-Erkol, Ç. and Sunbuloglu, N.
  Year: 2024
• Memory Transgressed by Female Bodies: Civil Historiography Contrasted with Official Historiography
  Authors: Gunsur Yuceil, Z. and Hemiş, Ö.
  Year: 2024
• Population politics, reproductive governance and access to abortion in Turkey
  Authors: O’Neil, M., Ramaswamy, A., and Altuntaş, D.
  Year: 2024
• Gastrodiplomacy in Turkey: ‘saving the world’ or neoliberal conservative cultural policies at work
  Authors: Eser, B. and Karaosmanoǧlu, D.
  Year: 2024
• Is precarity a fate for women in Türkiye? Rethinking energy poverty from a gender perspective
  Authors: Ucal, M. and Günay, S.
  Year: 2023

5.4. Courses

• KHAS110 with Digital Knowledge Association: students created or improved women’s biographies on Wikipedia to close the online gender gap.
• KHAS110 with Digital Knowledge Association: students created or improved women’s biographies on Wikipedia to help close the online gender gap.
• In the elective KHAS1454 Istanbul on Foot: Discovering the City through Art & Design, the “Archiving” week included a visit to the Women’s Library & Information Centre Foundation and a forum on the importance and sustainability of women’s archives.
• KHAS105 Universal Values & Ethics: included a three-week block on Gender Equality and the “Gender and Diversity” module.
• KHAS1226 Ecological Feminisms course.
• KHAS105 Gender & Diversity (Autumn).
• KHAS1302 Gender and the Life Course.
• LAW 346 – Gender and Law (Elective)

Course Description: The course begins with a brief introduction to gender and sexuality studies (feminist theory, LGBTQ+ studies, queer theory), opening discussions on core critical conceptual tools such as gender, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. It then applies these theories to key topics like the relationship between gender and law, the public-private divide, and body politics. Themes such as violence and discrimination are examined to show the role of law in reproducing gender roles. Finally, the course explores the discourse and methods used in the rights struggles of feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, assessing achievements and limitations, and discusses the possibilities law provides for social transformation. [3]

• LAW 374 – Politics of Human Rights (Elective)

Course Description: Rather than a purely philosophical or legalistic approach, this course frames human rights as politics, situating them at the intersection of law and politics as outcomes of social movements and power relations. It introduces and critically discusses the main premises of contemporary human rights discourse, explores the historical processes of identity-based rights movements, and examines the potentials and limits of human rights in struggles against discrimination and inequality, with a focus on political identities based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. [4]

• LW 570 – Gender and Human Rights

Course Description: The course starts with the historical, conceptual, and theoretical framework of international human rights law, including the core premises of liberal rights theory. It provides an introduction to feminist and queer theory, and concepts such as gender, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. It then explores the relationship between these theories and human rights law, discussing the strategies and discourses of feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, their achievements, and the limits of human rights law. Using key human rights instruments and case law, the course examines the standards developed regarding gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and analyzes Turkish law and practice within this framework. [5]

• KH 536 – Contemporary Theories of Rights

Course Description: This course first emphasizes the opportunities and achievements of liberal rights theory as the foundation of today’s human rights discourse, then discusses the challenges and limits of human rights politics. It introduces examples of critical approaches to human rights, their theoretical foundations, and debates on the critique of human rights politics and the critical acceptance of the concept of rights. Finally, as an alternative approach for reconceptualizing rights alongside social identities, the course engages with queer theory and Foucault’s concept of friendship. It concludes with discussions on emerging movements and identity-based rights claims that challenge the mainstream rights paradigm, supported by student presentations. [6]

• GEN 650 – Gender and Law: Theories & Methodologies (PhD in Women’s Studies)

Course Description: The course examines the relationship between political struggles and theoretical work, the conceptual field this relationship creates, and the political demands raised historically and their reflections in legal regulations and the field of law. It also reviews the methodologies developed within feminist and queer legal studies, applying these to question how law interacts with gender. [7]

• KHAS 1736 – Politics of Human Rights (Core Curriculum)

Course Description: This course approaches human rights as a category of politics rather than purely as a philosophical or legal matter. It understands rights as products of social movements and power relations at the intersection of law and politics. The course first analyzes the basic premises of contemporary human rights discourse, then focuses on the historical processes of identity-based rights struggles. It examines the possibilities and limits of human rights in combating discrimination and inequality, with a particular focus on political identities based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It introduces relevant political-legal concepts and minimum universal standards and ultimately discusses the role of politics in expanding international human rights standards. [8]

• Graduate School | Women’s Studies | GEN608: Gender and Contemporary Art – Zeynep Günsür Yüceil | 2023–2024 Fall Semester | This interdisciplinary seminar examines “gender” through contested discourses, ideologies, and representations, focusing on its implications for the “politics of performance” and the “performance of politics.” It studies the circulation of gendered and sexualized discourses in media, popular culture, contemporary art, sound/music, and performance (both stage and everyday) from an intersectional perspective, engaging post-structuralist, feminist, queer, multicultural, and postcolonial approaches.
• ARCH503 | Pre-Thesis Seminar | ARCH503-S01 | Sabri Gökmen, Didem Kılıçkıran, Ufuk Soyoz, Doğu Durgun, Ezgi Tuncer, Gürbey Hız | Fri: 19:00–19:40 | B-302
• ARCH503 | Pre-Thesis Seminar | ARCH503-S01 | Sabri Gökmen, Didem Kılıçkıran, Ufuk Soyoz, Doğu Durgun, Ezgi Tuncer, Gürbey Hız | Fri: 19:00–19:50 | B-302
• ARCH504 | Architecture and Urban Studies Thesis | ARCH504 | Ezgi Tuncer, Didem Kılıçkıran, Sabri Gökmen, Ufuk Soyoz, Doğu Durgun, Gürbey Hız | Sat: 21:00–21:40 | B-201
• ARCH504 | Architecture and Urban Studies Thesis | ARCH504 | Ezgi Tuncer, Didem Kılıçkıran, Sabri Gökmen, Ufuk Soyoz, Doğu Durgun, Gürbey Hız | Sat: 21:00–21:50 | B-201
• ARCH511 | Readings on Space and Society | ARCH511 | Didem Kılıçkıran | Tue: 10:30–13:20 | B-516
• KHS361 | Contemporary Theories of Rights | KHS36-S01 | Remzi Orkun Güner | Fri: 18:00–20:50 | B-401
• KH542 | Current Issues in International Tax Law | Alara Efsun Yazıcıoğlu | Fri: 19:00–21:50 | D-113
• LW570 | Gender and Human Rights | LW570 | Reyda Ergün Umuroğlu | Mon: 18:00–20:50 | B-203
• KHS361 | Contemporary Theories of Rights | KHS36*1-S01 | Remzi Orkun Güner | Wed: 18:00–20:50 | B-323
• KH542 | Current Issues in International Tax Law | Alara Efsun Yazıcıoğlu | Mon: 18:30–21:20 | D-103

[1] https://www.fotoexpositie.nl/exposities/gender_matters.html#:~:text=16%20december%202023%20(14.30%20uur.,en%20begint%200om%2014.30%20uur

[2] https://alandakidoy.com/class/kadir-has-universitesi-genclik-festivali/

[3] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30003150/program/50000736

[4] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30004429/program/50000736

[5] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30001222/program/50258384

[6] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30000438/program/50258384

[7] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30003199/program/50303141

[8] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30004097/program/50302032