Ayca Ince, PhD.
I am an independent researcher in cultural policy and urban sociology.
Since beginning of 2000s’- see the young research assistant on the right, I worked full-time in various academic positions: lecturer in Faculty of Communications, vice-president of the Centre for Cultural Policies and Management at Istanbul Bilgi University, and editor in chief of its publications. When the academic and cultural atmosphere of Turkey became suffocating, I opt to lecture-only on a part-time basis and explored an alternative career towards a sustainable living at an urban setting.
I co-funded EK BİÇ YE İÇ (literally translated from Turkish as “Plant and Harvest, Eat and Drink”) which is a a social enterprise that aims at improving the quality of life in Istanbul by focusing on urban farming and healthy eating. Between 2015-2018, I acted as the programme director who is responsible of developing education/lifelong learning programmes, community development events and run communications.
Now in UK
Currently, I act as a visiting lecturer at the Department of Media, Culture and the Creative Industries at City, University of London.
I also act as a community researcher in Borough of Haringey, interpreter in the North-London NHS hospitals and also governor at a primary school, exploring, observing and action researching Turkish-speaking communities living in North London.
Online from everywhere
I believe after the Pandemic, we have overcome the physical and mental limitations of distance of co-operative and collaborative work whether it is an online course or a projects or a discussion.
I continue and aim to reach out every invitation that I receive as long as it is within remit of my fields of interest and experience. Each of such encounters become the most valuable opportunity to exchange and learn from one another and create steps further. I share some them among these pages.
