Dr. Tahire Erman`s article The Politics of Squatters (Gecekondu) in Turkey: The Changing Representations of Rural Migrants in the Academic Discourse has been awarded the prestigious Donald Robertson Memorial Prize for the best paper published in Urban Studies in 2001. Dr. Erman`s article appears in the Journal (vol. 38, no.7, pp. 983-1002, 2001). The article develops a critical approach to the study of squatters studies in Turkey and investigates the various representations of the individuals in these studies during different periods of time.
   Dr. Erman received her Ph.D. from the City University of New York in 1993 and has been teaching at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Her recent research interests include gecekondu housing and its transformation, urban politics, women`s issues, and globalization and urban space.