معرفی
Hülya Arik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). She specializes in cultural geographies of secularism and Islam, focusing on Muslim cultural politics, feminist geopolitics, and the intersection of religion with neoliberalism in non-European contexts. Her work examines Islamic arts and creative industries in Turkey, particularly through the lens of young pious women artists.
Education:
- PhD in Geography, York University, Toronto (2015)
- MA in Sociology and Social Anthropology, Central European University, Budapest (2006)
- BA in English Literature, Bogazici University, Istanbul (2003)
Research Interests: Her research explores the cultural politics of Islam in Turkey, including visual arts in Istanbul since the 1990s. She interrogates how secularism and neoliberalism shape creative industries and Muslim identities. Key themes include feminist geopolitics, urban geographies of Islam, and critical approaches to cultural production.
Publications: Her recent work analyzes creative geographies of Islam, secular governance in Turkish military contexts, and gender dynamics in security discourses. She has contributed to journals like Cultural Geographies, Security Dialogue, and Gender, Place & Culture.
Teaching & Engagement: She teaches courses on secularism, global geographies, qualitative methods, and population studies. In 2023–24, she leads a working group on Islamic art and creativity in Scarborough, collaborating with the Aga Khan Museum. The group explores interdisciplinary discussions on Islamic art’s contested definitions and lived experiences.
Professional Background: Before UTSC, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Gothenburg’s Cultural Sciences Department.
