Dr Derya Yüksek

Derya is a researcher at the Communication Studies Department of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and a lecturer at the Journalism Department of Near East University (NEU) in Cyprus. She completed her master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Trieste in Italy, and her PhD in Media and Communication Studies at the VUB. Since 2008, Derya has been involved as a manager and consultant in various international cooperation projects across the Euro-Mediterranean, in the field of arts, education, and media, with the partnership of cultural institutions, research centers and universities. For around a decade, her work has centered on media, peacebuilding, and citizen participation, carrying out projects and academic research bridging these fields. In continuation of this focus, her PhD thesis titled “Community Media as a Participatory Contact Zone for Youth in the Divided Cyprus” examined the contributions of participatory media practices to conflict transformation in the ethno-politically divided island of Cyprus, by organizing and analyzing a project that brought together Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot youth for participatory media productions.