In conversation with Dr. Ismail Orbay

Welcome back to EHB, Dr. Orbay! You were already a Visiting Lecturer here in 2021/22. What left a lasting impression on you back then – and what motivated you to return now?

Thank you, it’s really great to be back at EHB. Returning here feels like coming back to a place where my academic journey took an important turn. In 2021, I spent six months at EHB as a Visiting Lecturer, where I taught a course titled Views of Gender in Türkiye. Together with the students, we explored gender-related issues through both local dynamics and their global implications in the contexts of Türkiye and Germany. Producing knowledge in such an international setting created a significant space for growth for both the students and me. It was also my first experience of independently teaching a course, which made this period particularly formative. During my time in Berlin, I began working on my PhD dissertation on sex work and had the opportunity to engage with sex workers and related organizations. This helped me develop a more grounded understanding of the international dimensions of sex work, which later informed my research in Türkiye. I also built strong academic connections at EHB, especially with Prof. Dr. Rebekka Streck and Prof. Dr. Zülfukar Çetin, and we remained in close contact after my return to Türkiye. In recent years, I have continued teaching between Ankara and Berlin, sometimes within the same week, which further enriched my teaching perspective. Over time, this connection has developed into a sustained collaboration, and with the support of DAAD, I am very pleased to return to EHB as a Gastdozent.

Which topics or issues in social work are you currently most engaged with? 

Based on both my field experience and academic work, I position myself at the intersection of mainstream social work and anti-oppressive practice, with a focus on how knowledge translates into practice and how power operates through everyday forms of oppression. My main areas of focus are gender, violence, and sex work. More specifically, I work on issues such as slut-shaming, psychological violence, and the mental health and STI-related vulnerabilities of sex workers, closely connected to lived experiences in the field. At the same time, I see migration as an increasingly central issue. While Germany and Türkiye share a long history of migration, its current forms are changing, and being in Berlin allows me to engage more closely with these new dynamics.

Could you briefly tell us about your academic and professional background? What led you to work in the field of social work and research on gender and social justice?

I first became interested in gender during my undergraduate studies, where I wrote my thesis on physical violence against women. While pursuing my master’s degree, I worked for two years as a social worker at the Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centre in Türkiye. This experience allowed me to see how gender is concretely manifested in practice, particularly when working with individuals - mostly women - at risk of violence, within a feminist social work framework. When I later joined Hacettepe University as a research assistant, I deepened this perspective through my doctoral research and academic work. During this period, I further explored how gender operates as a social reality, which strengthened my motivation to conduct research in the fields of gender and social justice.

You teach on topics such as gender, violence against women, sex work, and public health. What are the main focuses of your courses – and how can these topics be applied concretely in social work practice?

In all my courses, I place strong emphasis on active student participation. While I prepare a preliminary plan before the semester begins, I develop the syllabus together with the students. I pay particular attention to the topics they want to include, which allows us to create a learning environment centered on shared engagement rather than hierarchical power relations. I see this as an important dimension of anti-oppressive teaching. A common focus across my courses is critical thinking. Grounded in the core values of social work, I encourage students to question taken-for-granted assumptions and to reflect on how power operates within everyday social realities. This process of critical reflection creates space for rethinking dominant narratives and moving towards more equal and just forms of practice. In terms of application, I consistently connect theoretical knowledge with real-life cases from my field experience and research. Through case discussions, examples from practice, and lived experiences, students learn how to respond to issues such as gender-based violence or sex work in a professional, ethical, and non-judgmental way. In this sense, the classroom becomes a space where theory and practice are continuously brought together.

In your course “Gender and Sex Work in Turkey and Germany”, you compare two countries. What opportunities does this international perspective offer students that they might not experience otherwise?

As someone who wrote a PhD dissertation on sex work, which was also recognized with an award, I believe that discussions on this topic should center the voices of sex workers themselves. Because it often provokes strong moral judgements, I make a conscious effort to include sex workers as active contributors to knowledge production. This allows students to engage not only with theory but also with lived experiences and firsthand narratives. The international comparison between Türkiye and Germany adds another important dimension. While the two contexts may appear similar at first glance, the realities differ significantly, helping students move beyond simplified understandings and recognize how legal, social, and cultural factors shape these experiences. As a result, students are better prepared to engage professionally with sex workers in a reflective and rights-based way. Given that many social workers lack training in this area, I believe this course offers a distinct and valuable professional advantage.

What do you expect from students in your courses – curiosity, discussion, critical questions? And what is the most important perspective you would like them to take away?

The first thing I tell my students is to allow themselves to enjoy being a student in my course. I aim to create an environment where they are not held back by the fear of making mistakes, as this is essential for active participation. To support this, I use icebreakers and role plays to encourage engagement. What I expect from students is that they bring in their ideas, grounded in social work knowledge, and approach them critically. I also invite them to reflect not only on the topics we discuss but on my teaching as well, as this feedback helps me continuously develop the course. Ultimately, I want students to leave with the ability to think critically about social realities and to approach them in a reflective, open, and non-judgmental way.

Which moments or activities during your visiting lectureship are you most looking forward to?

During my time at EHB, I am particularly looking forward to moments where we can produce knowledge together with students. When we identify a gap during a literature review, I find it valuable to develop this further into a small research project. Creating something collectively from curiosity is one of the most meaningful aspects of teaching for me. I am also looking forward to strengthening international connections and engaging with different perspectives on how gender-related issues take shape across diverse social, cultural, and political contexts. Beyond the classroom, I value academic exchanges with students and colleagues, as these conversations often open up new questions, ideas, and potential collaborations. For me, this is where teaching, learning, and research naturally come together.

Dr. Orbay, thank you very much for speaking to us.