Junior Researcher

Ekin Ali Önderoğlu

Neither estranged from the East, nor wholly surrendered to the West

I grew up in Istanbul in a bilingual environment and completed my secondary education at the Lycée Français Pierre Loti in Istanbul.

I subsequently pursued a dual degree in Law and Economics before turning more specifically towards Political Science.

The geopolitics of the Near and Middle East lies at the heart of both my academic interests and intellectual curiosity.

Within this broader field, I focus particularly on Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen—countries that have at times been reductively subsumed under the notion of the “Shia Crescent.”

I am especially interested in their political systems, regional balances of power, sectarian and transnational networks, and the role played by non-state actors.

Drawing on an interdisciplinary background, I seek to approach the region beyond one-dimensional readings, examining it instead through its historical, legal, political and social layers.