Burak Gürel is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-director of the Center for Asian Studies at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. China, once a hub for foreign manufacturing investment, has become a major investor in overseas factories and mines. Disputes at Chinese-owned businesses are now notably influencing labor unrest globally. This study shows that between 2010 and 2022, workers at Chinese firms in Turkey fought for unionization, better pay, and social rights relatively successfully. What distinguishes labor unrest in Chinese-invested factories and mines from other significant foreign investments in Turkey is the frequency of protests by the surplus population urging Chinese firms to prioritize local hiring over importing workers from China.

This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the International Studies Program.