Aysegul Ogur

Having been stuck at home during Covid, I discovered the rich world of online fan communities and I was inspired to focus on community and identity building through fandoms in my PhD research. My research will focus on digital stories on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Discord, and TikTok that function as safe spaces for fans to express their identity and interests. I am also fascinated by the creativity of fans reflected in fan fictions, fan arts, collection display and toy photography. I am particularly inspired by fan activities that challenge the ideologies of gender, sexuality, race, class, ability, and religion.

I grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. I moved to Ankara to complete my B.A at Hacettepe University. Then I made a life changing decision to move to Canada and completed a post-baccalaureate diploma in Women’s and Gender Studies at Carleton University. I then moved to London, ON to complete my M.A at Western University. I am thrilled to be back in Ottawa and at Carleton for my PhD in Cultural Mediations. In my spare time you can find me obsessing over fantasy books, looking through countless fan arts or sewing!

Areas of Academic Interest
Social Media, Fan Studies, Media Fandom, Subculture, Popular Culture Studies, Women’ s and Gender Studies