Mira Demirdirek

Short CV

Since 08/2023: Member of GIGA Doctoral Programme
Since 07/2023: PhD candidate at the Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen
Since 03/2022: Research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies
01/2019 - 03/2019: Research internship with DIGNITY Kwanza (Dar es Salaam) as part of the EU-Horizon2020 research consortium "Transnational Figurations of Displacement" (TRAFIG)
2018 - 2019: Student research assistant at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs
01/2018 - 03/2018: Internship at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs
Education: MA in African Studies, Leiden University; BA in Sociology and Political Science, University of Hamburg and University of Ghana

Current Research

Turkish foreign policy (toward Africa)

Countries and Regions

Turkey
African continent (external actors)
Tanzania (refugee policy)

Research Programmes

Global Orders and Foreign Policies

Dissertation

(Dis)continuities in Turkey's Africa Policy

Mira Demirdirek

Doctoral Researcher

T. +49 (0)40 42825 622 [email protected]

Social Inclusion | 02/2026

“My Phone Is like My Office”: Refugee Women’s Social Media Entrepreneurship in Dar-Es-Salaam

This article explores social media entrepreneurship among Congolese refugee women in Dar es Salaam. It shows how virtual mobility and connectivity help offset immobilization under Tanzania’s asylum regime, while also underscoring the risk of reinforcing intersectional discrimination based on gender and legal status.

Catherina Wilson

Leiden University

Mira Demirdirek

Doctoral Researcher

GIGA Focus Nahost | 6/2024

Non-State Actors and Autocratic Public Diplomacy: A Transregional View

Public diplomacy looms large in the foreign policies of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Zooming in on these states’ engagement with the African continent, this GIGA Focus Middle East explores the role played by real and alleged non-state actors in autocratic public-diplomacy efforts.

Dr. Jens Heibach

Mira Demirdirek

Hamid Talebian

GIGA Focus Global | 6/2022

Bolstering the Bromances: Turkey’s and Iran’s Tightening Ties with Africa

The war against Ukraine has created possibilities for emerging actors in Africa – such as Iran and Turkey – to scale up their engagement with the continent. This Focus deals with the question of how the changing global dynamics are allowing Iran and Turkey to boost their ties across the African continent.

Mira Demirdirek

Doctoral Researcher

Hamid Talebian

Doctoral Researcher

TRAFIG working paper | 09/2021

Figurations of Displacement in and Beyond Tanzania - Reflections on Protracted Displacement and Translocal Connections of Congolese and Burundian Refugees in Dar es Salaam

Catherina Wilson

Bishara Msallam

Joan Kabyemela

Mira Demirdirek

Jovin Sanga

Janemary Ruhundwa

Research Project | 01/07/2022 - 30/06/2025

Transfer for Transformation – Knowledge Exchange with Global Reach (T4T)

Transfer for Transformation (T4T) is an application lab. T4T will innovate in the practice of knowledge transfer through consequent target-group-integration and novel access strategies. It will also advance the scholarship on the subject by analysing the effectiveness and impact of different types of knowledge transfer.
Leibniz Association, 2022-2025

Research Project | 01/03/2022 - 28/02/2025

Explaining Middle-Power Engagement in External Regions: A Comparison of Iranian, Saudi, and Turkish Sub-Saharan Africa Policies

By means of a comparative historical analysis of Iranian, Saudi-Arabian, and Turkish engagement in Africa following the continent’s decolonization processes and running up until 2020, this project seeks to make sense of middle-power engagement in external regions. First, the project will identify the periods of shifting IST engagement in Africa. Second, it will analyze the reasons why, and the conditions under which, IST have stepped up—or reduced—their foreign policy efforts in Africa. Third, it will develop mid-range generalizations on middle-power engagement in external regions.
DFG, 2022-2025

GIGA Talk | 09/10/2025

New Alliances in the Horn of Africa: Navigating Global and Regional Competition

New Alliances in the Horn of Africa: Navigating Global and Regional Competition, GIGA Berlin Office, Friedrichstraße 206, 10969 Berlin Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Mira Demirdirek (Organiser, Moderator), Dr. Mona Saleh (Organiser, Panelist)

The region remains volatile, as shifting alignments and intensifying geopolitical competition intersect with ongoing internal conflicts. Against this backdrop, a panel of experts examined evolving alignments, external involvement, and conflict dynamics and discussed their implications for the future.

Mira Demirdirek

Doctoral Researcher

Dr. Mona Saleh

Associate

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 04/06/2025

Träume von der postkolonialen Republik

Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Mira Demirdirek (Panelist)

This panel discussion, part of a four-part cooperation event series on the interplay between decolonization and democratization, explored how memories of decolonization shape democratic processes today and how democracy is valued within the geopolitical dynamics of the 21st century.

Mira Demirdirek

Doctoral Researcher

GIGA Event | 16/10/2024 - 18/10/2024

Doctoral Researchers Conference: Researching with the Global South?

Doctoral Researchers’ Conference: Researching with the Global South?, GIGA, Neuer Jungfernstieg 21 (room 243), 20354 Hamburg, Germany Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Mira Demirdirek (Organiser), Indi-Carolina Kryg (Organiser), Alina Maria Ripplinger (Organiser)

Mira Demirdirek

Indi-Carolina Kryg

Alina Maria Ripplinger

Teaching | Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg (CNMS) | 2024

Middle Eastern Powers and their Foreign Policies towards Africa

Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg (CNMS) Marburg Germany

Short CV

Since 08/2023: Member of GIGA Doctoral Programme
Since 07/2023: PhD candidate at the Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen
Since 03/2022: Research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies
01/2019 - 03/2019: Research internship with DIGNITY Kwanza (Dar es Salaam) as part of the EU-Horizon2020 research consortium "Transnational Figurations of Displacement" (TRAFIG)
2018 - 2019: Student research assistant at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs
01/2018 - 03/2018: Internship at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs
Education: MA in African Studies, Leiden University; BA in Sociology and Political Science, University of Hamburg and University of Ghana