The master’s thesis of our Sociology PhD candidate at Ibn Haldun University, Abdirashid Diriye Kalmoy, prepared under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ramazan Aras, has been published as a book by İBER Academy Publications. Titled “Hopes in Transition: An Ethnography of African Migrants in Istanbul”, the study centers on the life experiences and stories of Sub-Saharan African migrants living in Istanbul, using rich ethnographic data to challenge stereotypical perceptions and reductive approaches to migration.
Contrary to common narratives that view migration as a "crisis" or a "threat," this study redefines it as a human response to global issues such as structural violence, economic disenfranchisement, and geopolitical instability. In his thesis, Kalmoy positions African migrants not as passive victims of global processes, but as agents who actively engage with and reshape the socio-spatial fabric of Istanbul. From this perspective, he reveals the deep dynamics behind the migration journey as a struggle for survival and self-determination.
Offering a valuable resource to fields such as migration studies, urban anthropology, and African diaspora studies, the thesis critically examines concepts like race, borders, and belonging in a globalized world. Emphasizing the universality of the migratory experience, the study frames the migrant not as the "other," but as a figure that reveals broader truths about the human condition in the modern world. As such, the book expands both the theoretical and geographical boundaries of contemporary ethnographic inquiry.
We congratulate our student for his dedicated work and wish him continued success.
