In our fourth episode, we are excited to feature Mert Koçak, a scholar in queer migration, refugee studies, and the anthropology of law and bureaucracy. Mert earned their PhD in Sociology and Social Anthropology from Central European University, holds an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and an MA in Gender Studies from CEU. They have been awarded fellowships at prestigious institutions, including the IWM – Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, CEFRES – French Research Center in Humanities and Social Sciences in Prague, and NEC – New Europe College in Bucharest. Currently, Mert is a non-residential fellow at the University of Cologne and serves as a project coordinator at the Memory Center in Istanbul, Turkey.

In this episode, Mert unpacks how the global care industry relies on migrant labor, tracing the emergence of migration industries that facilitate the movement of care workers across borders. Together, we explore the roles of formal actors, like recruitment agencies and digital platforms, and informal intermediaries that shape migrant care work.

Mert also addresses how digital care platforms streamline the caregiver-client matching process, though often at the expense of workers’ legal protections. By navigating these complex dynamics, Mert highlights both the opportunities and risks for migrant care workers, revealing how global care chains intersect with broader issues of legal status, labor precarity, and human rights.

Join us as we delve into this thought-provoking conversation, illuminating the intricacies of migration, technology, and the global care economy with Mert Koçak.