Dr. Tolga Tören

Dr. Tolga Tören completed his master's degrees at Marmara University (İstanbul), Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Development Economics and Economic Growth (2006), and – as part of the Global Labour University (GLU) – at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg), Faculty of Humanities, Department of Labour Policies and Globalisation (LPG) (2010).

Between September and October 2010, he was a visiting researcher at the Department of Sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand, as part of his PhD studies.

In 2012, he completed his PhD thesis entitled “South Africa: From Apartheid to Black Economic Empowerment: Re-articulation of Race and Class upon the Historicity of Capital Accumulation” at Marmara University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Development Economics and Economic Growth.

As a member of the Global Labour University (GLU) and Global Partnership Network (GPN), Dr. Tören has been teaching and conducting research on labour policies and globalisation, development and underdevelopment, and research methods in the departments of Labour Policies and Globalisation (LPG) and Global Political Economy and Development (GPED) at the University of Kassel since 2017.

He also served as a guest professor at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna, from March to May 2018.

Dr. Tören’s research focuses on labour policies and globalization, with particular emphasis on precarious working conditions, as well as on the global political economy and development—especially the political economy of development, foreign aid policies, and the dynamics of development and underdevelopment.

1. Working Papers / Research Papers (Selection)

2024: Trade Union in Defence of Public Space: The Case of Haydarpaşa Railway Station, Global Labour University (GLU) & International Labour Office Working Papers No: 59, Berlin: Global Labour University Publications.

2018: Syrian Refugees in the Turkish Labour Markets, International Center for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) Working Paper Series No: 22, Kassel: University of Kassel Publications, 1 - 67.

2008: Closing The Representation Gap in Small and Micro Enterprises, Global Labour University Working Paper Series No: 3 Berlin: Global Labour University Publications, 1 - 70 (with Webster, E., C. Bischoff, E. Xhafa, J. P. Lins, D. D. Deane, D. Hawkins, S. Bhowmik, N. More, N. O., S. Park, E.I. James, M. Serrano, V. D. Viajar, R. A. Certeza, G. Yılmaz, B. Karadağ, E. Sinirlioğlu, L. Volynets)

2. Articles in Refereed Journal (Selection)

2018: “‘Peace Academics’ from Turkey: Solidarity until the Peace Comes" Global Labour Journal, 9 (1), 103 - 112 (with M. Kutun).

2015: The Apartheid Regime in South Africa in the Context of Race, Class and Capitalist Development., Praksis (EBSCO), 37: 269 – 299 (Turkish).

2015: “‘Liberal Violence’ and Its Appearances within Their Historicity”, İktisat, 529: 89 – 104 (Turkish) (with Mehmet Türkay).

2014: Post-Apartheid South Africa: Wrong Model for the Kurdish Question, Praksis (EBSCO), 33 (Turkish).

2013: Post-Apartheid South Africa: ‘National Democratic Revolution’ and the Building of Black Capital, Praksis (EBSCO), 32. (Turkish).

3. Books

2013: Darkening Capitalism: “New” South Africa, İstanbul: SAV (Turkish).

2007: The Marshall Plan in Re-constructed World Economy and Implementation of Turkey İstanbul: SAV (Turkish).

4. Edited Volumes (Selection)

2019: Syrians in Turkey: Integration through Exploitation, Kassel: ICDD - Rainer Hampp (with Gaye Yılmaz and İsmail Doğa Karatepe).

2016: New Turkey: Capitalism, State, Classes, İstanbul: SAV (Turkish) (with M. Kutun).

2009: Actual Problems of Capitalism in Turkey, Ankara: Dipnot (Turkish) (with F. Ercan, Ö. Taştan, S. Paçacı, M. S. Tümtaş, Ö. Tezcek).

2008: Is Working Class and Labour Movement of Turkey Globalising?  İstanbul: SAV (Turkish) (with S. Kurt, B. Ergüder, B. Şen, F. Genç, G. Kaya, G. Yarkın, H. Güneş, N. Kapusuz, R. N. Akdemir, S. Orhan, S. Uz).

2007: Understanding Capitalism, Ankara: Dipnot (Turkish) (with D. Yılmaz, F. Akyüz, F. Ercan, K. R. Yılmaz, Ü. Akçay).

2007: Development of Capitalism in Turkey, Ankara: Dipnot (Turkish)(with D. Yılmaz, F. Akyüz, F. Ercan, K. R. Yılmaz, Ü. Akçay).                     

2006: Capitalism, Globalization & Underdevelopment, Ankara: Dipnot (Turkish) (with D. Yılmaz,  F. Ercan, F. Akyüz, K. R. Yılmaz, Ü. Akçay).

2006: Understanding Turkey with its Class Reality, İstanbul: SAV. (Turkish) (with H. Koçak, B. Ergüder, B. Şen, F. Ş. Zırhlı, G. Kaya, G. Yarkın, H. Güneş, M. İnce, N. Kapusuz, R. N.  Akdemir, Ö. Yılmaz, Ö. Tezcek, S. Orhan, S. Uz).

2005: Changing Structure of Working Class andNew Searches, Experiences in Working Class Movement, İstanbul: Social Research Foundation (SAV) (Turkish) (with S. Kurt).

5. Chapters in Edited Volumes (Selection)

2019: “Putting Labor Market Integration in Turkey into its Place: Informality and Refugees”, in Integration through Exploitation: Syrians in Turkey, Yılmaz, G., İ. D. Karatepe & T. Tören (Eds.), München: Rainer Hampp Verlag, 1 - 12 (with Gaye Yılmaz and İsmail Doğa Karatepe).

2018: “Role of Modernisation Theory in the Reconstruction of International Labour Movement in the Cold War Period: Lessons for Today” in Political Economy of Labour, Income Distribution, and Exclusion, C. Papatheodorou, S. Çevik, D. Paitarides, G. Yılmaz (Eds), London: IJOPEC.

2017: “Logistic Sector, Under the Context of Debate on Globalization / Localization and ‘Time Space Compression’, in Spatial and Regional Transformations in Turkey, Isparta:  Süleyman Demirel University  (Turkish(with E. E. Demir).

2016: “Understanding the ‘New Turkey’: A Proposal for an Alternative and Class Centered Framework Between Discourse and Reality, in New Turkey: Capitalism, State, Classes, T. Tören and M. Kutun (Eds.), İstanbul: SAV, 21 – 81 (Turkish)(with M. Kutun.).

2014: “Notes on the Transition in Turkey and in the World under the Conditions of Liberal Crisis”, Mertcan, H., A. Ördek (Eds.), Ankara: NotaBene, 313 – 359 (Turkish) (with M. Türkay)

2014: “Capital Accumulation: A Key in Understanding the Transition from Ottoman Empire to the Republic”, in Almanac 2012 – 2013, İstanbul: SAV,  138 - 164 (Turkish).

2008: “Foreign ‘Aid’ Policies as an Intervention Instrument and Two Cases: The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan”, Özgür University, İstanbul (Turkish).

2006: The Marshall Plan and Implementation of Turkey in Reconstructed World Economy: Examples of Agriculture, Transportation, Mining and Private Sector, in Development ofCapitalism in Turkey, Ankara: Dipnot (Turkish).

2007: “General Tendencies in the Agriculture Sector in Turkey and the World”, in Almanac 2006, İstanbul: SAV (Turkish).

6. Translation (Selection)

2020: Maria Lorena Cook, Madhumita Dutta, Alexander Gallas, Jörg Nowak, Ben Scully (2020) “Global Labour Studies in the Pandemic: Notes for an Emerging Agenda”, Global Labour Journal, 11: 2, 74 - 88, published in Praksis, Issue 26 (with G. Yılmaz).

2019: Christine Faerber (2019) “Feasibility and Benefit of Gender Budgeting for Well - Being of Women and Men – Examples from Germany”, published in Financialization, Female Labour, State, Eds.: Collective, İstanbul: SAV.

7. Non - Academic Essays (Selection)

2019: “Ruf nach Frieden in der Türkei”, HLZ, 4, p. 32 (with G. Yılmaz).

2017: “How President Erdogan is marketing the state of emergency”, Global Labour Column, 293 (with G. Yılmaz).

2024: “Labour in Defense of Public Space: The Case of Haydarpaşa Solidarity Platform, İstanbul”, Global Labour University (GLU) Workshop / Congress, 25 - 27 September 2024, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.

2022: “‘Marshall Plan with Africa' (MPwA), as a ‘Paradigm Shift’ Claim in Development Cooperation”, GPN Conference 2022, 4 - 7 October 2022, University of Kassel,  Kassel.

2021: “‘The Marshall Plan with Africa’ within Humanitarian-Development Nexus”, 6th Conference on Humanitarian Studies: New Realities of Politics and Humanitarianism: Between Solidarity and Abandonment, 03 - 05 November 2021, Paris.

2021: “Die Bedingungen der syrischen Flüchtlinge auf den Arbeitsmärkten der Türkei”, Interdisziplinäre Fachkonferenz im Rahmen des Programms Arbeitsmarktmentoren Sachsen: Zuwanderung und Arbeitsmarktintegration Erfahrungen und Sichtweisen aus Wissenschaft, Politik und Praxis, Arbeit und Leben, Sachsen 07. – 08. Oktober 2021.

2021: “Marshall Plan with Africa: A “Paradigm Shift” or ‘New Wine in the Old Bottle’?”, Econ - World 2021, 13th International Conference on Economics”, September 23-25, 2021 Tbilisi.

2020: “Syrian Refugees in the Labour Markets of Turkey & Role of Non-State Actors in the Integration Process”,  Demokratische und soziale Teilhabe stärken!, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, 8 November 2020.

2020: “Syrian Refugees in the Labour Markets of Turkey”, Kolloquium “Sozialgeschichte und soziale Bewegungen”, the Institute of Social Movements, Ruhr - University 06.07.2020, Bochum.

2019: “Development Policies and Conditions of Labour in the Post 2008 Crisis Period in Turkey”, 10th International Conference on Economic, 18-20 Jun, 2019, Budapest.

2018: “Labour rights during the AKP period in Turkey”,  Demokratie und Menschenrechte in Bedrängnis, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, 17. November 2018, Berlin.

2018: “Conditions of Labour in the Post 2008 Crisis Period in Turkey”, “Forum: Türkei - Veränderungen in Staat und Gesellschaft”, Europakongress 2018, 5 - 7 October 2018, Kassel.

2018: “Labor Economics and ‘the New Era’ in Turkish Labor Relations” (with Selim Çakmaklı), Union for Radical Political Economist (URPE) 50th Anniversary Conference & Celebration, September 27 – 30 2018, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (with Selim Çakmaklı).

2018: “Role of Modernization Theory in the Reconstruction of the International Labour Movement in the Post World War II Period: The Results and Prospects for Today”, International Conference of Political Economy 2018, 6-9 October 2018, Panteion University, Athens.

2018: “Turkey: A View from the Inside: From the Claim of ‘Democracy’ to a Long-term State of Emergency, Herr*Krit Summer School, 23 - 27 July 2018, University of Kassel, Kassel.

2018: “Comprehending the 'New' Turkey within the Context of Social Opposition: Labour and Hope from June to June”, Workshop on Authoritarianism and Resistance in Turkey, 12.05. 2018, ICDD, University of Kassel.

2018: “Labour, Capital and Debates on Development in the Post 2001 Crises Period in Turkey”,  IPW International Lecture Series at the Department of Political Science, 03.05.2018, University of Vienna.

2014: “Increased Capital Mobility and its impact on Emerging Markets Economies: the Case of Turkey”, Workshop on Increased Capital Mobility and its Impact on Emerging Markets Economies, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, 5 – 6 May 2014, Bali.

2009: “Understanding Class from Tuzla Shipyard Region in Turkey”, Comprehending Class Conference, 23-26 June 2009, University, Johannesburg  (with N. Akdemir).

1. Master Courses

2025 Summer

Research Methods Seminar, Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR), Department: Labour Policies and Globalization (LPG)    

2024 / 2025 Winter

Winter Academic Standards (for Labour Policies andGlobalisation), University of Kassel, Department: Labour Policies and Globalization (LPG)(Teaching assignment)

Academic Writing in Postcolonial Studies, University of Kassel, Department: GPED (Teaching assignment)

2024 Summer                   

Advanced Research Methods, University of Kassel, Department: Global Political Economy and Development (GPED) (Teaching assignment)                            

2023 / 2024 Winter 

Academic Standards (for Labour Policies andGlobalisation), University of Kassel, Department: Labour Policies and Globalization (LPG) (Teaching assignment)

Academic Writing in Postcolonial Studies, University of Kassel, Department: GPED (Teaching assignment)

2022 / 2023 Winter               

Labour, Capital, Welfare & Development in the Age of Globalization, University of Kassel, Departments: Economic Behaviour and Governance (EBGO), GPED, LPG.

2022 / 2023 Winter  

Capitalism, Development & Underdevelopment, University of Kassel, Department: GPED.                              

2021 / 2022 Winter

Theories of Imperialism, University of Kassel, Departments: GPED, LPG.

2020 / 2021 Winter 

Theories of Imperialism, University of Kassel, Departments: GPED, LPG.   

2020 Summer  

Capitalism, Development & Underdevelopment, University of Kassel, Departments: GPED, LPG.

2019 / 2020 Winter  

Working Class and Resistance in the Age Globalization, University of Kassel, Departments: GPED, LPG.

2018 / 2019 Winter  

Labour, Capital, Welfare & Development in the Age of Globalization, University of Kassel, Departments: EBGO, GPED, LPG.

2018 Summer

Labour, Capital, Welfare & Development in the Age of Globalization, University of Kassel, Departments: EBGO, GPED, LPG.

2017 / 2018 Winter

Labour Market Policies in a Comparative Perspective: South Africa and Turkey, University of Kassel, Departments: GPED, LPG

2. Undergraduate Courses (Selection)

2018 Summer

Labour Market Policies in a Comparative Perspective: SouthAfrica and Turkey, University of Vienna, Department: Political Science.