A warm welcome to my ePortfolio!

Profile

I am a doctoral researcher at Centre for Applied Linguistics (CAL) at the University of Warwick. My research interests cover intercultural communication, identity construction, space and place, sense of belonging and the notions of home and homeland and new diasporas.

Current research

My research project focuses on the identity construction of a diasporic community. My PhD research project is supervised by Dr Jo Angouri and Dr Stephanie Schnurr. I am particularly interested how indviduals perceive themselves as a member of modern diasporas and negotiate their identities in interactional spaces.

Previous Research

My previous research investigated the acculturation process of first generation Turkish Cypriot immigrant women in North London.

Through conducting semi-structured interviews, I explored how women in Turkish Cypriot diaspora integrated themselves into wider society in relation to their social interactions, cultural identity and language resources. I analysed the collected data by using thematic analysis.

Educational Background

• MSc Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions - University of Warwick

"Exploring Acculturation Process of Turkish Cypriot Immigrant Women - A Study of Identity, Social Interactions and Language Proficiency"

• BA (Hons) in Language and Culture Studies with double majors in German as a Foreign Languge Teaching and English Linguistics - Technische Universität Dresden

My BA dissertation theoretically investigated the methodics and didactics of foreign language teaching in a close relation to interculturality in language teaching. It was titled in german as "Zu den Methodischen und Didaktischen Aspekte des Fremdsprachenunterrichts".

I also spent three months as an exchange student at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia in Italy as a part of Erasmus Student Exchange Programme.

Conference Presentations

2019

• Rethinking Language and Community: Diversity in Global Settings, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK - 16-17 May

Ayten Alibaba & Jo Angouri - "He doesn't even speak his mum's language" Constructions of belonging in a diasporic community in London

• Spaces of (Im)mobility: Oxford Migration Conference 2019, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK - 31 May - 1 June

Ayten Alibaba - “No, not beyond the bridge! Here." Constructions of belonging in a diasporic community in London.

2017

• Language, Mobility and Belonging - Linguistic Anthropology Conference, University of Oxford, Somerville College, Oxford, UK - 23-25 March 2017

Ayten Alibaba & Jo Angouri - Belonging in Context: The case of Turkish Cypriot community in London

•  iMean 5 Conference, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK - 6-8 April 2017

Ayten Alibaba - “The multiple identities of the Turkish Cypriot Diaspora in London, a case study”

2016

• BAAL 2016, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK - 1-3 September 2016

Ayten Alibaba & Jo Angouri - “Home is where heart beats” negotiating belonging in modern diasporas

• Gender, Identity and Migration Seminar, King's College, London, UK - 14 October 2016

Ayten Alibaba & Jo Angouri - “Where is home? The homeland and the family in Turkish Cypriot women narratives”

Research Groups and Memberships

• Member of British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL)
• Member of the Working and Communicating across Cultures (WACC) research group
• Member of Migration, Identity and Translation Network
• Cluster organiser of research group Space, Place and the City at MITN
• Initiator of research group on Identity at Centre for Applied Linguistics
• Chair of the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) (2015-2016)
• Secretary of the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) (2016-2017)
• Organising committee member, 19^th Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics (2013)

Grants and Awards

• European Council bursary for Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus (2015-2016)
• Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus award for PhD Students (2015 - present)
• Warwick Internationational Higher Education Academy (WIHEA) Student Engagement Programme (2015-2016) - Successful project funding for creating a Reseach Skills Hub.

A dot Alibaba at warwick dot ac dot uk

Research Interests

• Intercultural Communication
• New Diasporas
• Identity Negotiation and Construction
• Linguistic Landscapes
• Interactional Sociolinguistics
• Space and Place

Contact