Sevda Arslan

Biography

Sevda is a linguistic and sociocultural anthropologist specializing in mobility and ethnic minority studies. Her dissertation research aims to understand the underlying complexities and variations in self-identification processes of minority migrant groups. By taking a multi-sited approach with the focus on the Zazaki speakers in Germany and Turkey, Sevda examines the daily experiences and the role of language and religious practices in identity formation and negotiation by utilizing ethnographic methods.

Sevda holds an M.A. degree in Political Science from Western Michigan University where she also completed a year of graduate course work in the Anthropology Department. In 2013, Sevda received her B.A. degree in European Studies from Maastricht University, in the Netherlands.

Sevda is a Nanovic Graduate Fellow and was awarded the Humanities Without Walls Fellowship funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sevda is also a Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate and has advanced to candidacy.