About

SEMRA EREN-NIJHAR

Semra Eren-Nijhar is a sociologist, author, poet, documentary filmmaker and an acclaimed expert on migration, Turkish people living in Europe, Turkish heritage in Europe and is the Executive Director of SUNCUT Consultancy & Productions. Semra was also involved with research at University of Oxford.

She is an experienced academic researcher and management consultant with extensive in-depth knowledge gathered in leading institutions. She is an expert professional in the areas of diversity, strategic advice which focuses on social policy formulation and social research encompassing EU states in particular Germany, UK, and Türkiye. Eren-Nijhar has been researching the area of social policy across Europe and Türkiye for the last 35 years. She has presented a number of papers at international conferences over the last two decades, mostly focused on issues of migration, race, women, youth, memory, belonging, heritage, identity, EU policies, Turkish heritage and the Turkish diaspora in Europe. Her groundbreaking research over the decades across cultures and in the area of heritage has given her international recognition and acclaim.

From a young age, Semra focused on a number of political and community struggles locally, nationally and internationally. Throughout these formative years, she has been active in German, British, Turkish and EU politics. Eren-Nijhar addressed a number of different areas including Equality, Women’s rights, anti-racist movements and Black and Minority Ethnic politics and Heritage work across Europe through setting up and supporting front-line organisations.

Eren-Nijhar was an adviser to a Peer in the House of Lords over seven years and organised many national and international events in the House of Lords.

Her special interest in the areas of arts guided her to explore poetry and literature which resulted in her writing and editing books on the twice Nobel Prize nominee Turkish Cypriot poet Osman Türkay which enabled his work to come to life again in Europe and in Türkiye.

She is the founder of the ‘Turkish Heritage in the UK’ initiative, jointly founded with Councillor Ahmet Karahasan of the ‘Turkish Heritage Day in London’ – launched on December 8, 2014, at Enfield Council and as well the founder of the ‘Turkish Heritage in Europe’ which was launched at the international Bosphorus Summit on November 29, 2019, in Istanbul.

As a documentary maker she has also made several documentary films ‘Turks in London’, ‘Turkish Youth in London – We Have the Voice’, ‘Millennium Poet Osman Türkay, ‘India is where you are’ and produced and presented weekly on a Turkish TV channel discussion programme called ‘Avrupa’da Söz Bizde – Our Voice in Europe’.

Eren-Nijhar is using creative techniques from the world of arts by drawing in people’s interest to her sociological research outcomes and findings. This is manifested through her research and several photographic exhibitions in Britain, the European Parliament (Belgium) and Türkiye. Her work mainly focuses on individual portraits of people.

In 2004 Eren-Nijhar was granted lifetime membership of the Millennium Awards Fellowship which marks the personal commitment and achievement of a select group of talented individuals throughout the United Kingdom in strengthening and enriching their community. In 2015 she received for innovation an awareness award from the International European Quality Summit for her outstanding achievement in her field of work. Furthermore, in 2018, Eren-Nijhar has received an award for her outstanding work, from the Federation of Turkish Association in the U.K.

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