The Future Is Ours!

During my fieldwork in İstanbul, I attended public protests like this one to connect with and interview young climate activists who claim their future and livability of the planet not only from their governments, but from world leaders and big corporations. I was fascinated by their bravery, boldness, and determination.

Focusing on identity, gender, and citizenship, in my doctoral research I ask: how is environmentalism understood and practiced in the Middle East? I have conducted ethnographic fieldwork within environmental NGOs in Türkiye and Egypt, two Muslim majority societies with the largest populations in the region to understand complexities and specificities of environmental and climate activism in authoritarian contexts where freedom of speech, expression and association are restricted, and any civil society activity is highly regulated and monitored by the state.