About

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware's Department of English, where I teach courses on writing, world literature, and cinema, focusing on fostering critical thinking and cultural literacy. In addition to my academic work, I serve as the secretary of the Literature/Film Association, the film reviews editor for Adaptation, and the founding editor of Adaptation Today. My latest editorial collection Adaptation in Turkish Literature, Cinema, and Media was published by Palgrave Macmillan as part of their Palgrave Studies in Adaptation and Visual Culture Series.

I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Delaware with a dissertation titled Politics of Transnational Film Remakes: Turkish and German National Cinemas. My research examines how socio-political and economic conditions shape transnational border-crossing acts between texts, cultures, and media industries. By analyzing remaking practices in national cinemas operating under varying political orthodoxies, I challenge and expand the concept of “transnational,” advocating for a more inclusive and diversified framework that transcends the traditional nation-based paradigm.

My academic journey began with a BA in English Language and Literature and a pedagogical proficiency certificate in ESL Teaching from Istanbul University. I later earned an MA in British Cultural Studies from Hacettepe University, where my thesis, A Bakhtinian Analysis of Robinsonades: Literary and Cinematic Adaptations of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, explored adaptation theory and intertextuality.

I also bring a wealth of professional experience to my academic career. I worked as a coordinator in the fundraising department of Greenpeace Mediterranean, and as a project expert for the Global Libraries Initiative of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I have also volunteered for NGOs such as the Clinton Foundation’s Unite for Literacy.

I’m a proud dog mom to Oliver and Nana, and I also a foster mom to the cats at Humane Animal Partners. Caring for animals brings balance and joy to my life and fuels my commitment to creating inclusive and compassionate communities, both in and out of academia.

This edited collection provides a comprehensive exploration of key trends and methodologies in adaptation within the Turkish context, examining how socio-political and economic conditions shape the interaction between texts, cultures, and media industries. With thirteen essays covering adaptation topics from the early 1940s to the present, the collection addresses a diverse range of subjects, including novel-to-film adaptations, film remakes, television series, documentary dramas, stage adaptations, comic books, and the music industry. By encouraging an ongoing dialogue between cultures, languages, and disciplines, this collection fosters conversations across cultural boundaries, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives and narratives.

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This welcome collection of critical essays provides powerful arguments for adaptation studies to open itself to a wider array of texts outside the traditional canon. And by allowing Turkish adaptations to talk back to the orientalizing impulse that has long marginalized them, it raises a number of pointed questions about assumptions Euro-American scholars continue to make about the native cinemas they think they know so well. 

—Thomas Leitch, Unidel Andrew B. Kirkpatrick, Jr. Chair in Writing, University of Delaware

This volume provides an engaging account of the ways various Turkish cultural products are positioned within the field of adaptation studies. Collectively, the essays deftly delineate adaptation strategies, expertly situating each case study in its trans-national, industrial and cultural context.

—Constantine Verevis, Associate Professor in Film and Screen Studies, Monash University

By asking us to consider the cultural politics of adaptation within Turkish literature and cinema, this collection makes a substantial contribution to the field of adaptation studies. Packed with fascinating and insightful chapters, this book is a genuine pleasure to read and demonstrates that Türkiye’s position as a bridge between East and West makes it one of the most significant contexts for studying processes of cultural exchange. 

—Iain Robert Smith, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, King’s College London