Shared Citizenship in Action

Last week, we had the wonderful privilege of hosting the inaugural workshop of the Volkswagen Stiftung-funded project “Shared Citizenship in Deeply Divided Societies: Comparing Israel, Turkey, and Cyprus.”

The format was small and intensive: 20 guests from Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, and Germany gathered for two days of rich discussion, exchange, and joint planning for the research ahead. Together, we brought academics and civil society practitioners into one room—because real change happens when these worlds connect.

Day 1 explored shared society initiatives across our three case studies through inspiring guest lectures:

• Nil Mutluer on Turkey
• Ahmet Sözen on Cyprus
• Shahira Shalaby on Israel

These three perspectives helped us compare the challenges facing civic initiatives in each context and ask: What can these different societies learn from one another?

We also held impactful panel discussions on:

• Shared society as an alternative to exclusionary populism
• A comparative study of Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel
• Practical challenges of building shared societies

Day 2 shifted to internal meetings between our academic team and civil society partners, focusing on:

• The next stages of the project
• Field research in Turkey, Israel, and Cyprus
• Cooperation between academia and civil society organizations
• Future dissemination of findings to the public

A heartfelt thank you to the Volkswagen Foundation for making this project possible and for supporting a research framework that truly bridges academic work with civic engagement. This is what collaborative, impact-driven research looks like!

We are grateful for every conversation, every insight, and every partner who joined us on this journey. The road ahead is full of promise!