- Assistant Professor
- Pronouns: she/her/hers
- Phone: (979) 845-7285
- Email: dover@tamu.edu
- Office: WCSS 356
- Document: CV
- Personal Website
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
- Över, D. (forthcoming). Boundaries That Divide: How Journalists in Turkey Surrendered Their Power Over Politics. Rutgers University Press.
- Över, D. (forthcoming). Authoritarian Legacies in Law & Democratic Backsliding: The Case of Turkey's Specially Authorized Courts. Law and Social Inquiry.
- Över, D., Santana, E., Amaral, E. F., Lakkimsetti, C., Kelley, A. E., & Espinoza, D. A. (2025). A comprehensive analysis of COVID-19 vaccination behavior: The influence of religion, information sources, political leanings, and demographic factors. PLoS One, 20(5), e0323815.
- Över, D., & Tuncer-Ebetürk, I. (2022). Insult, Charisma, and Legitimacy: Turkey's Transition to Personalist Rule. Social & Legal Studies.
- Över, D. (2021). From self-censorship to contention: Shame triggered participation in the 2013 Gezi Protests. Current Sociology.
- Över, D. (2021). Democratic backsliding and the media: The convergence of news narratives in Turkey. Media, Culture & Society, 43(2), 343-358.
- Över, D., & Taraktaş, B. (2017). When does repression trigger mass protest? The 2013 Gezi protests. In Non-state violent actors and social movement organizations (Vol. 41, pp. 205-239). Emerald Publishing Limited.
- Över, D. (2016). Cultural tourism and complex histories: the Armenian Akhtamar church, the Turkish state and national identity. Qualitative Sociology, 39(2), 173-194.