Department of Gender Studies

Rita's research interests are predominantly centered on trans studies, queer performance art, and Türkiye's underground queer sceness and trans+ performers.  Her MS thesis investigates the parental autobiographical memories of trans-experienced women.  In the thesis, she aims to demonstrate the perceived parental treatments that women have had in early childhood in relation to their trans experiences.

In her doctoral research, Rita turns her direction to underground queer scenes, trans+ performers, and queer performance art based in Türkiye, as herself being an activist and performer coming from those scenes and streets beginning from her high school years.  She intends to focus on exploring resistance strategies, queer and trans collective caring practices as well as new potentialities through the lubunya (queer and trans+) scene and nightlife in the context of Türkiye.