Esin Gülsen

Esin Gülsen is a postdoctoral researcher at FMSP since September 2025. She has been awarded a research scholarship by the Gerda Henkel Foundation for her project on the intergenerational transmission of collective memory of violent past within the Kurdish diaspora in Germany. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Law, and a PhD in Political Science. Her doctoral research focused on the restorative role of memorialization in the aftermath of mass violence. Her research interests lie in memory studies, peace and conflict studies, migration studies, and transitional justice.

From 2009 to 2016, she worked as a research assistant at Mersin University in Turkey. In 2016, she received a PhD research fellowship from the Centre Marc Bloch in Berlin, and in 2018, a non-residential research fellowship from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. Between 2021 and 2023, she served as the assistant coordinator of 100 Years, 100 Objects: Online Encyclopaedia of the Republic of Turkey, a project conducted by the Centre for Democracy and Peace Research in London. The project explored the centennial history of Turkey through the lens of memory of objects (https://100sene100nesne.com). From February 2023 to October 2024, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Peace Studies at Justus Liebig University.

Selected Publications

Edited Books

Gülsen, E. & Yılmaz, B. (Eds.). (2023). 100 Years 100 Objects: Examining the History of the Republic of Turkey through the Eyes of Objects. Alfa Publications. (in Turkish)

Book Chapters

Gülsen E. (2021). Ulucanlar prison museum as a memorialization case: Whose memory, dealing with which past? In Transitional Justice in Turkey: Transforming Subjects, Methods and Tools. Truth Justice Memory Center. (in Turkish)

Gülsen E. (2015). Truth and memory on the road to peace: Cases of South Africa and Argentina. In A. D. Başterzi & A. T. Aker (Eds.), Peace Book: Psychology of War and Peace from Individual to Society. Turkish Psychiatry Association Publications. (in Turkish)

Journal Articles

Gülsen E. (2023). Tree. Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, 10(2), 29-45.

Gülsen E. & Yılmaz, B. (2023). An overview of the Republic of Turkey through objects: The encyclopaedia of 100 years 100 objects. Toplumsal Tarih Akademi, (3), 131-135. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3467515. (in Turkish)

Submitted Manuscripts

Gülsen, E. (2025). Memorialization in the context of the Kurdish conflict: The case of Diyarbakır military prison. D. G. İbrişim & E. Gülüm (Eds.), Memory Studies in Turkey and Beyond: A Handbook. Brill. (Manuscript submitted; under peer review)