Dr. B. (Beste) Isleyen
- Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
- Room number: B9.05
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Postbus 15578
1001 NB Amsterdam
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Profile
I am Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam.
My research addresses concepual and empirical questions of border security, territoriality, technology and practices. It combines insights from Critical Security Studies, Political Geography and Postcolonial Theory. My current work is concerned with Eurocentric accounts with respect to the emergence of modern forms of population and territorial control.
My previous research, funded by a VENI grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), examined the daily governance of migration and borders in Turkey. More information on this research can be obtained under the TRANSIT tab.
I am President (2023-2025) of the European International Studies Association (EISA), to which I was elected as Governing Board member in 2021. Before becoming President, I was managing the EISA's European Workshops in International Studies portfolio (2021-2023).
I am Editor and Rotating Editor-in-Chief (2022-2027) of International Political Sociology, which is an official journal of the International Studies Association. I am also on the editorial advisory board of Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.
I am co-leader of the 'Europe in the World' theme of Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES) Amsterdam Centre for European Studies. I am co-convener (with Tasniem Anwar) of the ACES Online Series 'Decolonising Europe' Decolonising Europe.
I received my PhD in Political Science from the University of Tübingen (2014) with a scholarship by the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the 'Europe and the World' theme of ACCESS EUROPE at the University of Amsterdam (2014-2015).
I teach courses in International Relations, Decolonial/Postcolonial Studies and European politics. I was Guest Faculty at the International Political Sociology Winter School at the Instituto de Relações Internacionais at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in 2023.
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TRANSIT
TRANSIT examines Turkey's governance of migration and borders. It focusses on everyday practices of what is called 'transit' migration in Turkey. In the context of its membership negotiations with the EU, Turkey has made a number of legal and administrative changes to 'Europeanise' its border and migration policies. TRANSIT explores to what extent such changes are reflected in the daily practices of migration and border governance by Turkish security and political professionals. The research also looks at the daily interaction between Turkish officials and migrants and asks how such interaction affects migrants' decisions.
TRANSIT (2015-2019) is funded by a VENI grant from the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) and is embedded in the Transnational Configurations, Conflict and Governance' programme group of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR).
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Teaching
Block 1
Specialisation Course International Relations
Blocks 4, 5 & 6
MA Research Project: Decolonising Europe: Colonialism, Empire and Race
Blocks 5 & 6
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Publications
- refereed (26)
- academic (3)
- professional (1)
- popular scientific (1)
- recognitions (15)
- supervised theses (1)
2025
- Isleyen, B. (2025). Governing Kurds through spatial design: Turkey in Afrin. Third World Quarterly. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2025.2535018
2024
İşleyen, B. (2024). Non-Western Agency in Refugee Humanitarianism: Turkey and ‘Operation Provide Comfort’. International Studies Review, 26(2), Article viae028. https://doi.org/10.1093/isr/viae028 [details]
2023
- Anwar, T., & İşleyen, B. (2023). Guilty knowledge: a postcolonial inquiry into knowledge, suspicion, and responsibility in the fight against terrorism financing. Review of International Studies, 49(1), 161-180. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026021052200033X [details]
- El Qadim, N., & İşleyen, B. (2023). Beyond Euro-centrism in the study of EU externalisation. Political Geography, 105, Article 102911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102911 [details]
- Isleyen, B. (Guest ed.), & El Qadim, N. (Guest ed.) (2023). Special issue: Border and im/mobility entanglements in the Mediterranean. Environment and Planning D - Society & Space, 41(1). https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/epda/41/1
- Isleyen, B., & Karadağ, S. (2023). Engineered migration at the Greek–Turkish border: A spectacle of violence and humanitarian space. Security Dialogue, 54(5), 475-492. https://doi.org/10.1177/09670106231194911 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2023). Affective politics of migration control in Turkey: a postcolonial approach. European Security, 32(3), 367-384. https://doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2023.2232740 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2023). Following Turkish Border Practices. In M. B. Salter, C. E. Mutlu, & P. M. Frowd (Eds.), Research Methods in Critical Security Studies: An Introduction (2nd ed., pp. 155-161). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003108016-26 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2023). Humanitarianism and the Non-European World. In K. Mitchell, & P. Pallister-Wilkins (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Philanthrophy and Humanitarianism (pp. 125-134). (Routledge International Handbooks). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003162711-11 [details]
- İşleyen, B., & El Qadim, N. (2023). Border and im/mobility entanglements in the Mediterranean: Introduction to the special issue. Environment and Planning D - Society & Space, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/02637758231157264 [details]
2022
- İşleyen, B., & Fakhoury, T. (2022). Migration and Refugees in EU–Middle East Relations. In D. Bouris, D. Huber, & M. Pace (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of EU–Middle East Relations (pp. 411-421). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429317873-43 [details]
2021
- El Qadim, N., İşleyen, B., Ansems de Vries, L., Hansen, S. S., Karadağ, S., Lisle, D., & Simonneau, D. (2021). (Im)moral Borders in Practice. Geopolitics, 26(5), 1608-1638. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2020.1747902 [details]
- İşleyen , B. (2021). Technology and Territorial Change in Conflict Settings: Migration Control in the Aegean Sea. International Studies Quarterly, 65(4), 1087–1096. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqab046 [details]
- İşleyen, B., & Kreitmeyr, N. (2021). ‘Authoritarian Neoliberalism’ and Youth Empowerment in Jordan. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 15(2), 244-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2020.1812996 [details]
2020
- Bouris, D., & İşleyen, B. (2020). The European Union and Practices of Governing Space and Population in Contested States: Insights from EUPOL COPPS in Palestine. Geopolitics, 25(2), 428-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2018.1552946 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2020). Reading Reece Jones’s Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move. 4: Borders, law and capitalism [Review of: Jones (2017) Violent Borders, Refugees and the Right to Move]. Political Geography, 79, Article 102129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2019.102129 [details]
2018
- İşleyen , B. (2018). Transit mobility governance in Turkey. Political Geography, 62, 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2017.09.017 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2018). Building capacities, exerting power: The European Union police mission in the Palestinian Authority. Mediterranean Politics, 23(3), 321-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2017.1319750 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2018). Turkey’s governance of irregular migration at European Union borders: Emerging geographies of care and control. Environment and Planning D - Society & Space, 36(5), 849-866. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263775818762132 [details]
2017
- Gros, V., de Goede, M., & İşleyen, B. (2017). The Snowden Files Made Public: A Material Politics of Contesting Surveillance. International Political Sociology, 11(1), 73-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olw031 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2017). The External Dimension of European Union Counter-Terrorism Discourse: Good Governance, the Arab “Spring” and the “Foreign Fighters”. Uluslararası İlişkiler/Journal of International Relations, 14(55), 59-74. https://www.uidergisi.com.tr/yazilar/the-external-dimension-of-european-union-counter-terrorism-discourse-good-governance-the-arab-%E2%80%9Cspring%E2%80%9D-and-the-%E2%80%9Cforeign-fighters%E2%80%9D [details]
2016
- İşleyen, B. (2016). Rendering Space and People Economic: Naguib Sawiris’ Refugee ‘Country’. Mediterranean Politics, 21(2), 326-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2016.1145824 [details]
2015
- İşleyen, B. (2015). Governing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process: The European Union Partnership for Peace. Security Dialogue, 46(3), 256-271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010615579563 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2015). The European Union and neoliberal governmentality: Twinning in Tunisia and Egypt. European Journal of International Relations, 21(3), 672-690. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066114554464 [details]
2014
- Isleyen, B. (2014). Protection or prevention? Different visions of EU international terrorism policy. In C. Carta, & J. F. Morin (Eds.), EU foreign policy through the lens of discourse analysis: making sense of diversity (pp. 59-78). (The globalisation, Europe, multilateralism series). Ashgate. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315580692 [details]
2008
- Isleyen, B. (2008). The Role of the European Union in the Middle East Peace Process: A Civilian Power? Stuttgart: Ibidem Verlag.
2021
- Isleyen, B. (Author). (2021). We have been here before. Web publication or website, The Lausanne Project. https://thelausanneproject.com/2022/02/11/beste-isleyen/
2016
- Isleyen, B. (2016). Protection or Prevention? Different Visions of EU International Terrorism Policy. In C. Carta, & J.-F. Morin (Eds.), EU Foreign Policy through the Lens of Discourse Analysis: Making Sense of Diversity (pp. 59-78). (The Globalisation, Europe, Multilateralism Series). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315580692 [details]
- İşleyen, B. (2016). [Review of: N. Vaughan-Williams (2015) Europe's border crisis: biopolitical security and beyond]. Global Affairs, 2(5), 541-543. https://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2016.1292450 [details]
2023
- Oliveira Martins, B., Tank, P., & İşleyen, B. (2023). Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool: A Technology-Mediated Search for Autonomy. (Mideast Policy Brief; Vol. 1). Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). https://www.prio.org/publications/13435 [details]
2024
- Bouris, D., Boussaid, F., Bracke, S., Fontana, S., Pallister-Wilkins, P., Bala, S., de Cesari, C., Dekker, M., De Keere, K., Ferrari Braun, A., Gaddam, S., Hamdan, A., Hegazy, M., Jansen, Y., Işleyen, B., Korkmaz, A., Loken, M., Moors, A., Pali, B., ... Vertommen, S. (2024). De ondraaglijke lichtheid van UvA’s neutraliteit. Web publication or website, Folia. https://www.folia.nl/opinie/161096/de-ondraaglijke-lichtheid-van-uvas-neutraliteit
Prize / grant
- Isleyen, B. (2024). Outstanding Peer Review Award - Geopolitics (Academic Journal).
- Isleyen, B. (2022). Research grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. https://aces.uva.nl/content/news/2022/09/beste-isleyen-awarded-grant-by-norwegian-ministry-of-foreign-affairs.html?origin=kNAMXU03SseabyMoXN…
- Isleyen, B. (2015). The daily governance of transit migration in Turkey at European Union borders: the Europeanization of Turkish border and migration governance (NWO-Veni Grant). https://www.nwo.nl/onderzoek-en-resultaten/onderzoeksprojecten/i/64/13564.html
Membership / relevant position
- Isleyen, B. (2023-2025). EISA President, European International Studies Association (EISA). https://eisa-net.org/about-eisa/governance/beste-isleyen/
- Isleyen, B. (2021). Governing Board Member, European International Studies Association (EISA).
Media appearance
- Isleyen, B. (23-03-2023). De toekomst van Turkije is niet veilig onder Erdogan [Print] NRC. De toekomst van Turkije is niet veilig onder Erdogan. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/03/23/de-toekomst-van-turkije-is-niet-veilig-onder-erdogan-a4160289
- Isleyen, B. (04-07-2022). On border security infrastructures: Interview with Beste İşleyen [Web] Society for Social Studies of Science. On border security infrastructures: Interview with Beste İşleyen. https://www.4sonline.org/on-border-security-infrastructures-interview-with-beste-isleyen/
Journal editor
- Isleyen, B. (editor) (2022-2027). International Political Sociology (Journal).
- Isleyen, B. (member of editorial board) (2019-2021). Environment and Planning D - Society & Space (Journal).
Others
- Isleyen, B. (chair) (2024). 17th Pan-European Conference in International Relations, Lille. European International Studies Association (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
- Isleyen, B. (visiting lecturer) (3-7-2023 - 7-7-2023). Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) (visiting an external institution). http://www.iri.puc-rio.br/en/projeto/the-ips-winter-school/
- Isleyen, B. (chair) & Loken, M. (chair) (2023). European Workshops in International Studies, Amsterdam (organising a conference, workshop, ...). https://eisa-net.org/ewis-2023/photos/
- Isleyen, B. (chair) & Pedi, R. (chair) (2022). European Workshops in International Studies (Thessaloniki - Greece) (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
- Isleyen, B. (examiner) (2021). Committee Member (NWO Rubicon) (examination).
- Isleyen, B. (organiser) & Anwar, T. (organiser) (2020 - 2021). Decolonising Europe, Amsterdam. Webinar (organising a conference, workshop, ...). https://aces.uva.nl/events/past-events/past-events.html#Decolonising-Europe
This list of publications is extracted from the UvA-Current Research Information System. Questions? Ask the library or the Pure staff of your faculty / institute. Log in to Pure to edit your publications. Log in to Personal Page Publication Selection tool to manage the visibility of your publications on this list. -
Ancillary activities
- No ancillary activities
İşleyen, B. (2024). Non-Western Agency in Refugee Humanitarianism: Turkey and ‘Operation Provide Comfort’. International Studies Review, 26(2), Article viae028.