Ulas successfully defended his PhD dissertation!

Ulas Tastekin defended his Ph.D. dissertation on “Authoritarian Labour Regime as an Indispensable Component of the Downward Mobility Strategy: The Case of Egypt after 2013” on August 19th. 

Ulas’ dissertation investigates how the Sisi regime in Egypt reinstalled and deepened the authoritarian labour regime during Egypt’s reintegration into the global economy following the 2013 coup d’état. The research is based on the downward mobility strategy in the international political economy literature. The Egyptian state reduced labour to a production input through low wages, job insecurity, the shrinkage of public employment, and the curtailment of union rights. Thus, the regime aimed to attract foreign investment and sustain its global competitiveness. Within the scope of the thesis, protests by IFFCO edible oils workers (2016-2017), employees at state-owned enterprises (2020-2021), and Al Mahalla Al Kubra textile workers are examined. The findings show that the workers continue to defend their rights through wildcat strikes and grassroots movements despite all forms of oppression, whereas this strategy is incapable of boosting productivity and makes the country more dependent on external actors.

Ulas’s defense was chaired by Dr. Michael Egan. His supervisory committee consisted of Dr. Alina Sajed (supervisor), Dr. Robert O’Brien, and Dr. Stephen McBride. The external examiner was Dr. Paul Bowles (University Northern British Columbia).

 Congratulations, Dr. Ulas Tastekin!