F. Zehra Çolak, PhD
Senior Researcher & Lecturer in Education
Utrecht University, The Netherlands
I am a social scientist interested in social and educational inequities and their impact on the belonging and well-being of racialized minority groups. My research lies at the intersection of sociology, psychology, and education and draws on insights from critical theories to explore the societal and institutional mechanisms through which inequities are perpetuated. I am also interested in counter-narratives and strategies adopted by minoritized groups to resist racialized discrimination and ask which policies and practices can foster equitable and liberating experiences and environments.
In my research, I seek to center the voices and lived experiences of those who have been most marginalized. One of my aims is to engage with collaborative and participatory research approaches that counter social inequities by fostering the engagement of marginalized communities. Being a first-generation immigrant woman, I often draw inspiration from my lived experience to understand, explore, and critically reflect on the conditions of (non)belonging and racialization in diverse social contexts.
I earned an MSc in Social and Cultural Anthropology and a PhD in Education from the KU Leuven. My Ph.D. analyzed links between discrimination, inclusion, and belonging in Belgian higher education based on the narratives and experiences of students from otherized backgrounds. I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University, at the Department of Education, on a Dutch Research Agenda project titled Re/Presenting Europe: Popular Representations of Diversity and Belonging. My research specifically focuses on understanding racialized students’ experiences of (non)belonging, representation, and inclusion in the context of schools and community-based organizations.
I genuinely enjoy sharing my passion for doing societally relevant research with (non) academic audiences and working on bridging the gap between academia and practice. I am actively involved in several academic networks and contribute to ongoing projects on social and educational equity and inclusion. Some of these include the coordination of IMISCOE’s Standing Committee on Education and Social Inequality, membership in the Fulbright Brussels Diversity Committee, and membership on the editorial board of academic journals, such as Ethnic and Racial Studies, and Sociology Compass. I often give workshops and guest lectures and write articles for online blogs and magazines in English and Dutch. Recently, I co-produced and co-hosted a podcast project titled “Joy in Academia” which traces moments and practices of joy in the academic journeys of racialized scholars.
You can read more about my research and other activities on this website.