We are delighted to welcome Ezgi as the Shrivastava Family Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Immigration Research at the Institute for Immigration Research. She recently earned her PhD in Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University where she explored how a marginalized Muslim community in Turkey - Alevis community – engages in music making in traditional gatherings called Muhabbet, how these have shifted from intimate home settings to digital platforms, understanding what is gained, lost, and transformed in the process. Ezgi wishes to bring her dissertation to life through public cultural programming. She is involved with non-profit Alevi organizations in the US, supporting their efforts as a music teacher, and looks forward to getting to know the immigrant community in the DMV area and finding ways to help uplift their stories.
Ezgi has always been interested in the intersection of media and arts – how they shape global understandings of belonging, memory, and cultural visibility. What brought her to the IIR is this new focus on the intersection of culture and storytelling. She deeply resonates with IIR’s focus on humanizing (im)migration experience. This semester, Ezgi is piloting the Leaving & Belonging project which explores challenges and varied feelings associated with moving, shifting, and feeling a sense of belonging in new settings. She seeks to highlight untold stories of (im)migration.
Ezgi is also working on brainstorming ways to collaborate with research centers and institutions who are engaging in art and story-telling initiatives. She seeks to dive into inquiring what does sustained art-based methodology looks like in the field of immigration research. Her long-term goal is to contribute to scholarship, spark dialogue and foster deeper understandings in communities by bridging the gap between academic research and creative practices to amplify immigrant narratives.
Three words that she uses to describe her work at the IIR: compassion, care, and kind. These are values are often sidelined in conversations around immigration. With her expertise in storytelling methodology and passion to give voice to the marginalized, she aims to contribute meaningfully to the work and mission of the IIR.
October 01, 2025