Cansu Ekmekcioglu

Ms. Cansu Ekmekcioglu

University of Toronto

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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31 March 2022 in ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
DSDina Sabie
Dina Sabie
Cansu EkmekciogluCansu Ekmekcioglu
Cansu Ekmekcioglu
Syed Ishtiaque AhmedSyed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
This article presents a thorough discussion of the trajectories of international migration research in HCI. We begin by reporting our survey findings of 282 HCI-related publications about migration from nine digital libraries between 2010–2019, summarizing how this research stream has evolved, the geographies and populations it encompasses, and the methodologies it utilizes. We then augment these findings with data from interviews with 11 skilled researchers who reflect on their working experience in this area. Our analysis reveals how the domain has evolved from the European migrant crisis to a more global agenda of migration and points towards a shifting focus from addressing immediate needs to acknowledging more complex political and emotional aspects of mobility. We also uncover the critical role of academic, local, and international politics in migration research in HCI. We discuss these findings to explore future opportunities in this area and advance HCI research discourse with the marginalized populace.

28 September 2023 in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
NCNadia Caidi
Nadia Caidi
Cansu EkmekciogluCansu Ekmekcioglu
Cansu Ekmekcioglu
RJRojin Jamali
Rojin Jamali
PCPriyank Chandra
Priyank Chandra
Ramadan is an important and blessed month for Muslims around the world. It is both a time of spiritual contemplation as well as an opportunity for reinvigorating communal bonds. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, disrupted many of the rituals and traditions of Ramadan. In this exploratory study, we present findings from 22 young Muslims' experiences with Ramadan and fasting during the pandemic. Our article sheds light on the techno-religious practices and information strategies used to mitigate isolation, share information, and celebrate Ramadan. We examine the sociotechnical configurations of religious rituals and highlight the resilience of these rituals even in the midst of a global pandemic. Our paper contributes to CSCW scholarship on technology appropriation and non-use as they relate to religious practices in the face of exogenous shocks such as the pandemic, and how design can better cater to the religious lives of individuals and communities.

14 April 2023 in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
Cansu EkmekciogluCansu Ekmekcioglu
Cansu Ekmekcioglu
PCPriyank Chandra
Priyank Chandra
Syed Ishtiaque AhmedSyed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Scholarly work interrogating time and temporality in CSCW predominantly focuses on the temporal coordination of work in high-resource settings and is usually based in Global North. This paper aims to complicate and complement this scholarship by investigating the temporal entanglements of digital humanitarian work with refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey during COVID-19. We interviewed 22 humanitarian workers to understand their experiences and concerns as well as strategies they employed to support refugees and immigrants at a distance. The data reveal the complex temporal, informational, and infrastructural dimensions of technologically-mediated refugee support work, challenging the trope of "pivot to remote work", as popular in western countries. Our findings contribute to the CSCW research on the theory of anticipation work and its relationship with the concept of collaborative rhythms to explicate the relational and situated aspects of the temporal experiences of humanitarian workers in low-resource settings.

19 April 2023
Verified
Conference Paper
Open access
RARuba Abu-Salma
Ruba Abu-Salma
RTReem Talhouk
Reem Talhouk
JSJose Such
Jose Such
CAClaudia Aradau
Claudia Aradau
FMFrancesca Meloni
Francesca Meloni
RBRehema Baguma
Rehema Baguma
There has been a growing body of work on migration within the HCI community, as well as within the social science and public policy communities. More specifically, human-centered security researchers have been exploring the needs and concerns of migrants, starting to contend with the harms created by digital technologies and experienced by those who are and have been marginalized. Case studies through which migration and (digital) security within the HCI domain intersect have been localized to specific contexts such as, e.g., particular issues related to data processing and sharing in refugee camps, or a narrow set of security threats and harms experienced by migrant workers in their new places of work. However, more holistic approaches to understanding the intersections of migration and (digital) security are yet to be fully explored while accounting for the past (including home country security practices, use of localized digital technologies, and interactions with technologies throughout the migration journey), the present (current security practices and experiences in the place or country migrants are situated), and the future migrants are trying to secure for themselves and their families. This workshop aims to build a community of HCI researchers interested in how migration and (digital) security intersect to braid together research narratives, perspectives, and methods, design for inclusive technologies, and build an agenda for future research and practice.

26 June 2022 in SocArXiv
Verified
Preprint
Open access
Cansu EkmekciogluCansu Ekmekcioglu
Cansu Ekmekcioglu
NCNadia Caidi
Nadia Caidi
PCPriyank Chandra
Priyank Chandra
RJRojin Jamali
Rojin Jamali
This article explores how the relational context of religious rituals and practices and pandemic-induced stay-at-home orders shape the socio-temporal organization of young Muslims’ everyday social media engagement during Ramadan under COVID-19. We collected semi-structured interviews with 22 self-identified Muslims who observed Ramadan during the pandemic (in 2020 and 2021). Our findings point to the impacts of COVID-19 and related public health measures in the formation of the participants’ psyche about their observance of Ramadan in 2020 and 2021. Drawing on the concept of socio-temporal rhythms in everyday life practices, we map the temporal patterning of their everyday religious rituals and practices onto their social media (dis)engagement, as enabled or constrained by pandemic restrictions.

1 January 2022 in Information Research
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
NCNadia Caidi
Nadia Caidi
Cansu EkmekciogluCansu Ekmekcioglu
Cansu Ekmekcioglu
PCPriyank Chandra
Priyank Chandra
RJRojin Jamali
Rojin Jamali
UTUniversity of Toronto
University of Toronto
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to reimagine how they engage in spiritual and religious activities. This paper presents an analysis of the information practices of young Muslims during Ramadan, with a focus on their social, spiritual and COVID-related needs and strategies. Our qualitative approach entailed semi-structured interviews with 22 self-identified Muslims from across the Muslim spectrum. They were asked about their experiences with completing Ramadan under pandemic, including the nature of information accessed and shared as part of the fasting rituals.Analysis. Interviews were transcribed, and open coding was used to categorize the data into themes. The thematic analysis was conducted through an iterative process. Our findings pointed to the differing affective states of the young Muslims who observed the fast under COVID. Participants also hinted at the loss of communal practices and rituals and the emergence of new habits and coping strategies (many informational in nature). Social and emotional support were particularly critical to overcoming the challenges. This study contributes to a better understanding of the intersection between information activities and spiritual/religious practices. The findings also have theoretical and practical implications for the role of information and technology in times of crisis.