German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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Mira Demirdirek

Doctoral Researcher

Mira Demirdirek

  • Short CV

    • Since 08/2023: Member of  GIGA Doctoral Programme
    • Since 07/2023: PhD candidate at the Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen
    • Since 03/2022: Research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies
    • 01/2019 - 03/2019: Research internship with DIGNITY Kwanza (Dar es Salaam) as part of the EU-Horizon2020 research consortium "Transnational Figurations of Displacement" (TRAFIG)
    • 2018 - 2019: Student research assistant at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs
    • 01/2018 - 03/2018: Internship at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs
    • Education: MA in African Studies, Leiden University; BA in Sociology and Political Science, University of Hamburg and University of Ghana

    Current Research

    • Turkish foreign policy (toward Africa)

    Countries and Regions

    • Turkey
    • African continent (external actors)
    • Tanzania (refugee policy)

     

    Dissertation

    • (Dis)continuities in Turkey's Africa Policy

    Mira Demirdirek

    Doctoral Researcher

    T. +49 (0)40 42825 622[email protected]

    Publications

    GIGA Focus Middle East | 6/2024

    Non-State Actors and Autocratic Public Diplomacy: A Transregional View

    Public diplomacy looms large in the foreign policies of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Zooming in on these states’ engagement with the African continent, this GIGA Focus Middle East explores the role played by real and alleged non-state actors in autocratic public-diplomacy efforts.

    Dr. Jens Heibach

    Mira Demirdirek

    Hamid Talebian

    GIGA Focus Global | 6/2022

    Bolstering the Bromances: Turkey’s and Iran’s Tightening Ties with Africa

    The war against Ukraine has created possibilities for emerging actors in Africa – such as Iran and Turkey – to scale up their engagement with the continent. This Focus deals with the question of how the changing global dynamics are allowing Iran and Turkey to boost their ties across the African continent.

    Mira Demirdirek

    Doctoral Researcher

    Hamid Talebian

    Doctoral Researcher

    TRAFIG working paper | 09/2021

    Figurations of Displacement in and Beyond Tanzania - Reflections on Protracted Displacement and Translocal Connections of Congolese and Burundian Refugees in Dar es Salaam

    Catherina Wilson

    Bishara Msallam

    Joan Kabyemela

    Mira Demirdirek

    Jovin Sanga

    Janemary Ruhundwa

    Research Projects

    Research Project | 01/03/2022 - 28/02/2025

    Explaining Middle-Power Engagement in External Regions: A Comparison of Iranian, Saudi, and Turkish Sub-Saharan Africa Policies

    By means of a comparative historical analysis of Iranian, Saudi-Arabian, and Turkish engagement in Africa following the continent’s decolonization processes and running up until 2020, this project seeks to make sense of middle-power engagement in external regions. First, the project will identify the periods of shifting IST engagement in Africa. Second, it will analyze the reasons why, and the conditions under which, IST have stepped up—or reduced—their foreign policy efforts in Africa. Third, it will develop mid-range generalizations on middle-power engagement in external regions.
    DFG, 2022-2025

    Lectures

    GIGA Talk | 09/10/2025

    New Alliances in the Horn of Africa: Navigating Global and Regional Competition

    New Alliances in the Horn of Africa: Navigating Global and Regional Competition, GIGA Berlin Office, Friedrichstraße 206, 10969 Berlin Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Mira Demirdirek (Organiser, Moderator), Dr. Mona Saleh (Organiser, Panelist)

    The region remains volatile, as shifting alignments and intensifying geopolitical competition intersect with ongoing internal conflicts. Against this backdrop, a panel of experts examined evolving alignments, external involvement, and conflict dynamics and discussed their implications for the future.

    Mira Demirdirek

    Doctoral Researcher

    Dr. Mona Saleh

    Associate

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 04/06/2025

    Träume von der postkolonialen Republik

    Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Mira Demirdirek (Panelist)

    This panel discussion, part of a four-part cooperation event series on the interplay between decolonization and democratization, explored how memories of decolonization shape democratic processes today and how democracy is valued within the geopolitical dynamics of the 21st century.

    Mira Demirdirek

    Doctoral Researcher

    GIGA Event | 16/10/2024 - 18/10/2024

    Doctoral Researchers Conference: Researching with the Global South?

    Doctoral Researchers’ Conference: Researching with the Global South?, GIGA, Neuer Jungfernstieg 21 (room 243), 20354 Hamburg, Germany Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Mira Demirdirek (Organiser), Indi-Carolina Kryg (Organiser), Alina Maria Ripplinger (Organiser)

    Mira Demirdirek

    Indi-Carolina Kryg

    Alina Maria Ripplinger

    Teaching

    Teaching | Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg (CNMS) | 2024

    Middle Eastern Powers and their Foreign Policies towards Africa

    Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg (CNMS) Marburg Germany

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