Yasemin Acar

Dr Yasemin Acar is a Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of St Andrews' School of Psychology and Neuroscience. Her research focuses on collective action, intergroup conflict, and identity politicization, with particular expertise in the Turkish-Kurdish conflict and peace processes. She holds a PhD from Claremont Graduate University (2015).

Her work explores how identity shapes political engagement, the efficacy of protest tactics, and reconciliation mechanisms in divided societies. Key areas include the psychological dynamics of resistance movements such as the Gezi Park protests and the Saturday Mothers, as well as academic activism in authoritarian contexts.

• PhD: Claremont Graduate University (2015)
• Research Specializations:
  • Identity & Collective Action
  • Ethnic/National Conflict
  • Peace Psychology
  • Civil Society Mobilization
• Notable Projects:
  • Meta-analytical review of Kurdish-Turkish identity dynamics
  • Analysis of protest efficacy in Palestine solidarity movements
  • Long-term study of Saturday Mothers' generational resistance

Her recent work emphasizes participatory research methodologies and the ethical challenges of fieldwork in conflict zones. Supervised PhD student: Ala' Mustafa.