Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Anthropology
Advisor
Jonathan Shannon
Committee Members
Miriam Ticktin
Christa Salamandra
Asli Zengin
Subject Categories
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Mental and Social Health | Queer Studies | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Keywords
Borders, Care, Muslim Racialization, Queer Scene, Berlin
Abstract
This dissertation examines queer Muslim experiences of border politics, racialization, and care in Berlin, Germany. By formulating bordering as a domineering and oppressive practice of boundary-making, I study how global bordering mechanisms shape and disrupt structures of care, caring, and being cared for. With an intersectional focus on race, gender, sexuality, and sex, I argue that borders are simultaneously materialized and challenged in varying localities, including the nightclub, the queer scene, the diasporic neighborhoods, and households. Ultimately, viewing collective care as fundamental to survival, healing, resistance, and building non-punitive lifeworlds, I theorize the counter-hegemonic practices of queers of color through a border-abolitionist framework of politics of care.
Recommended Citation
Seref, Faruk, "Kanak-Ish Misfits: Queer Imaginaries, Racialized Borders, and the Politics of Care in Berlin, Germany" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6710
Included in
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Queer Studies Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
