Defne Over
  • Assistant Professor

Biography

Defne Över is a political sociologist. Using a cultural lens, her work examins media and legal institutions, social movements, and the construction of legitimacy in contemporary contexts of autocratization. Her research draws on participant observation, interviews, and surveys. Her current book project "Boundaries That Divide: How Journalists in Turkey Surrendered Their Power Over Politics" investigates how Turkey’s news media became an accomplice in the country’s democratic backsliding process instead of acting as a break against it. Över’s other work has appeared in PLOS One; Law and Social Inquiry; Social and Legal Studies; Media, Culture & Society; Current Sociology; Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change; Qualitative Sociology, and several edited collections.

 

Courses Taught at Texas A&M

  • SOCI 412: Political Sociology
  • SOCI 413: Social Movements
  • SOCI 605: Social Movements

Research Interests

  • State-Society Relations
  • Social Movements
  • Culture
  • Media
  • Legal Institutions
  • Legitimacy

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. Cornell University

Awards & Honors

  • Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar, Texas A&M University, 2020–21.
  • Sidney Tarrow Paper Award, Best paper written in the field of European Politics, Cornell University, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. 2015.
  • Excellence in Teaching Award, Cornell University, Department of Sociology. 2011.
  • Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award, Honorable Mention for the M.A. Thesis, “An Analysis of Collective Action Frames in Contemporary Turkey”. 2009.

Selected Publications