Onur Kapdan is a PhD. candidate in Sociology and Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests center on contemporary social movements, global political economy, and social theory. He is currently working on his dissertation entitled “Clash of Common Senses: Contention of Populist Neoliberalism in the Gezi Park.” In his dissertation, Onur investigates the authoritarian populist turn in politics and the complexities of transforming its contention in mass uprisings into coherent social movement projects through an in-depth study of the Turkish regime and the Gezi Park Uprising.  Prior to his doctoral studies at UCSB, Onur has earned degrees in Political Science, Development Studies, and International Politics from universities in Turkey, Sweden, and the UK. His research has been presented in various international conferences and published in Turkish and English.
 
Onur will be working with Professor Jan Nederveen Pieterse in Fall quarter 2017, in the area of Globalization, Sociology, and Development Studies.