M. Ragip Zik is a PhD Candidate in Sociology at the Free University of Berlin and working on a project about the mobilization of public affects through images on digital platforms within the context of contemporary social movements. Building on the concepts of collective identity, iconography, and temporality, he studies the recent Anti-Coup and Gezi movements in Turkey. Ragip holds a master’s degree in Cultural Studies from Istanbul Bilgi University, where he researched about the role of artistic practice in social movements with case studies from street protests in Italy.

Before his PhD studies, Ragip was a Program Officer at the Columbia University's Global Center in Istanbul, facilitating research and education efforts of Columbia community in the region. In the previous 15 years, he worked at various civil society initiatives and organizations in the fields of culture and arts, peacebuilding, and youth work; realizing large-scale projects and community-building activities in the Euro-Mediterranean area and Caucasus. He still collaborates with various institutions as trainer and consultant in topics related to human rights.