Dr Ece Kocabicak

Professional biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Sciences and Global Challenges at the Open University (2020–present). I also serve on the board and Programme Committee of the Economy and Society Research Committee (RC02) of the International Sociological Association (ISA). My academic career builds on an multidisciplinary background: before entering academia, I trained as a computer engineer (BSc) and worked on artificial intelligence projects. I later completed my PhD in Sociology at Lancaster University, where I was mentored by leading scholars in economic sociology, political economy and feminist theory. After completing my doctorate in 2017, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where I also taught at postgraduate level (2017–2020).

Research

My research provides new theoretical and policy insights into gendered labour dynamics across West and South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. I develop a distinctive perspective by positioning gender as a causal, rather than merely consequential, factor in socio-economic transformation, including trajectories of capitalist development, state formation and civil society. Using mixed-methods approaches, my articles in leading journals and my monograph, The Political Economy of Patriarchy in the Global South (Routledge, Open Access, 2023), collectively advance understanding of gendered socio-economic processes.

My research focuses on the following questions:

• What are the diverse variations of gender regimes and manifestations of racism in the Global South?
• In which ways do the gender and race/ethnicity-based regimes shape the macro level political economy?
• What are the patriarchal, capitalist, and racist political actors in the Global South and how do they sustain their influence in shaping state-formation?
• To what extent do essentialist interpretations of sex/gender contribute to the perpetuation of racist state agenda?
• In the context of the Global South, to what degree and in what ways does violence emerge as an effective strategy against systems of exploitation and regimes of oppression?

Teaching

Level 3, D328   : Sociology Dissertation Module (2022- current) 

Level 3, DD318 : Social Theory: Changing Social Worlds (2021- 2023)

Level 2, DD215: Doing Social Research: Crime, Justice & Society (2020- current)

Postgraduate Coordinator for Sociology (2026- current) 

Qualification lead of  interdisciplinary social science qualifications (2021- 2026)

Sociology Lead for Artificial Intelligence (2023- 2025)

Impact and engagement

I have led complex international research projects and coordinated collaborations across diverse institutional and geographical contexts. I have advanced expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistical analysis and semi-structured interviews with participants from diverse national, ethnic, class and sexuality backgrounds. I have also established and managed international partnerships across West and South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. My experience also includes documentary analysis of archival and legal materials, the production of innovative dissemination outputs such as video animations, and the organisation of in-person and online consultations with international stakeholders, including the World Bank, FAO, UN Women, UNIDO, ILO, the International Organization for Migration, BRAC, IRRI, IFAD, ISST and IDRC.

I have further founded the Gender, Labour and Opportunities in Work (GLOW) network (2025–present) and led the Gendered Patterns of Agrarian Change network (2021–2024). These initiatives brought together academics, NGOs and grassroots organisations across West and South Asia. We co-organised three virtual and two in-person workshops and conference panels, significantly increasing the visibility of Global South scholarship. I have also played an active role in research networks led by SOAS, LSE and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation between 2017 and 2023, focusing on West and South Asia, and Southwest Asia and North Africa.

Ongoing projects

2024- 2026      : Forthcoming, Who leaves, who stays? Unpacking the role of gendered landownership in shaping rural-to-urban labour migration, with Dildar and Yasmin

2025- current  : Ongoing, Equal Inheritance Rights and Women’s Labour Outcomes: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa, with Kayaoğlu

2026- current  : Ongoing, Care and Belonging among Migrant and Racialised LGBTQ+ Parents in the UK, with Erel and Olumide

2026- current  : Starting, From Property to Prosperity: Equal Inheritance Rights and Women’s Labour Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, with ForumCiv Liberia

Doctoral Students

2025- current: Amy French, Structural Violence, Climate Crisis, and Women's Agency in Bangladesh