Secil Ertorer

Secil Ertorer provides academic leadership for the Master of Arts in Applied Social Psychology and Master of Health Care Management programs at University of Niagara Falls Canada.

She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from The University of Western Ontario, following a sociological social psychology track and specializing in the interdisciplinary program of Migration and Ethnic Relations (MER). After completing her PhD, she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at MER and the Esses Lab for the Study of Intergroup Relations at Western University, where she conducted community-based research applying social psychological theories to workplace diversity and equity and co-developed intercultural competency training curricula. She completed her Master of Arts in Sociology and Bachelor of Arts at Hacettepe University in Turkey. Throughout her academic career, she has conducted fieldwork in England, Canada, the United States, and Turkey. 

With over fifteen years of teaching experience across Canadian and American universities, Secil has taught courses on sociology, social psychology, social problems, gender studies, migration studies, race and ethnicity, social research methods, and the social determinants of health. Her pedagogy emphasizes experiential learning, and her teaching and research interests span identity and its interplay with migration, settlement, integration, racism, health, and mental health.

Secil has been published in leading international journals and book chapters, focusing on asylum-seeking, refugee resettlement and integration, identity reconstruction, labor market barriers, and workplace diversity. In 2024, she published her sole-authored book  Racism and Identity in a Xenophobic World: A Post-Pandemic Perspective, which introduces a multi-level, interdisciplinary model for understanding racism and proposes strategies to address prejudice at the individual level and combat racism at the societal level.

Prior to joining UNF, Secil was a tenured Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Environmental Studies at Canisius University in Buffalo, NY. She is actively engaged in social movements and initiatives that raise awareness of identity-based inequality and social justice issues, and has contributed significantly to equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts across the Niagara region, where she resides.

Courses taught

Social Identity, Implicit Bias and Prejudice, Social influences on Health, Ethical Considerations within Applied Social Psychology.

Areas of academic interest

Identity, Social Psychology Applications, Mental Health, Prejudice, Racism, Social Determinants of Health, and Community-based Research.

Areas of specialization

Identity, Social Psychology, Race and Racism, Xenophobia, International Migration, Integration, Inclusion, Social Influences on Health and Wellbeing, and Mental Health.

Publications

See Google Scholar profile

Books

1. Ertorer, S. (2024). Racism and Identity in a Xenophobic World: A Post-Pandemic Perspective. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-031-690945

Journal articles

1. Ertorer, S. E. (2024). Racism and Mental Health: Examining the Psychological Toll of Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Genealogy 8(3):98. Doi: 10.3390/genealogy8030098.
2. Ertorer S.E. (2024). The Psychological and Social Impact of Immigration Policies: A Minority Stress Perspective. Psychology Journal Research Open 6(5): 1–2. DOI: 10.31038/PSYJ.2024653
3. Maywalt, D. F., Ertorer, S.E., & Lipshultz, S. (2024). Improving Covid-19 Disease Severity Surveillance Measures: The Case for Implementing Accessible Screening to Protect High-Risk Populations. Progress in Pediatric Cardiology (74). 101734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppedcard.2024.101734.
4. Ertorer, S. E. (2024). Manifestations of Anti‐Asian Xenophobia in the COVID‐19 Era: On a Scale from Avoidance to Discrimination. Journal of Race and Social Problems.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-024-09414-0.
5. Ertorer, S.E., Long, J., Fellin, M., & Esses, V.M. (2022). Immigrant Perceptions of Integration in the Canadian Workplace. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 41(7): 1091-1111.  https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-02-2019-0086
6. Ertorer, S. (2021). Asylum Regimes and Refugee Experiences of Precarity: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Turkey. Journal of Refugee Studies. 34(3): 2568–2592.  https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa089
7. Ertorer, S. (2016). Acculturating into the Canadian Society: A Case of Karen Refugees. CJMS Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.42(11): 1864-1884.   https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2015.1128809
8. Erdogan Ertorer, S. (2014). Managing Identity in the Face of Refugee Resettlement. Identity: An International Journal of Theory & Research, Special Issue: Problematic Identity Processes.14 (4): 268-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2014.944695
9. Cleveland, M., Laroche, M., Takahashi, I., & Erdogan, S. (2014). Cross-Linguistic Validation of a Unidimensional Scale for Cosmopolitanism, Journal of Business Research. Vol 67 (3): 268-277.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.05.013
10. Cleveland, M., Erdogan, S., Arıkan, G., & Poyraz, T. (2011). Cosmopolitanism, Individual-Level Values and Cultural-Level Values: A Cross-Cultural Study, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 64 (9): 934-943. Lead Article. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.11.015.
11. Arikan, G., Tacoglu, T., & Erdogan, S. (2011).  Risk Taking Behaviours of University Students in Ankara, Toronto and Piristina. Bilig Journal of Social Sciences in Turkish World (56):1-24.

Book chapters

1.  Ertorer, S. (2024) Utopian Imaginings and the Pursuit of the Utopian Society. In Victoria W. Wolcott (Ed.) Utopian Imaginings: Saving the Future in the Present. pp. 89-97. State University of New York Press.
2. Long, J. & Ertorer, S. (2022). “Canadian Workplace Culture: Mono- or Multi-cultural?” in Reading Sociology: Decolonizing Canada. Fourth Edition. Eds. Jean-Pierre, Watts, James, Albanese, Chen, and Graydon. Oxford University Press, Canada. ISBN: 9780190164942, 0190164948.
3. Long, J. & Ertorer, S. (2021). Using Experiences of Sexism to Build Awareness and Engagement of White Skin Privilege in the Classroom. In Ellyn Lyle & Sepideh Mahani (Eds.) Sister Scholars: Untangling Issues of Identity as Women in Academe. Pp. 175-182. DIO Press Inc., New York. ISBN: 978-1-64504-088-0
4. Butera, A. & Ertorer, S. (2020). Restrictive Asylum Policies and Reflections in the Labor Market: The Cases of Italy and Turkey. In Freitas-Castro,E. & Maia-Tavares S. (Eds.) Current Challenges in Migration Policy and Law. Pp. 9-32. Transnational Press, London,UK. ISBN: 978-1-910781-77-7.
5. Erdogan, S. (2009). Reconstruction of Identities: A Case Study of Refugees from Turkey. In T. Kucukcan & V. Gungor (Eds.) Turks in Europe: Culture, Identity, Integration (pp.363-379). Amsterdam: Turkevi Research Centre. ISBN: 9789077814130.

Awards and Grants

• Dr. Joan Lorch Award, Canisius University, Women and Gender Studies Program
• Kelly Endowed Fellowships for Social Progress and Innovation
• Koessler Faculty Research Fellowship
• National Endowment for the Humanities Innovation Grant (multiple years)
• Canisius University Dean’s Summer Research Grant (multiple years)
• Canisius University Mission and Identity Program Development and Research Grant   
• SSHRC Small Research Grants
• York University LAPS International Collaborative Research Grant
• Mitacs-Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Canadian Sociological Association
• The Ellen Nilsen Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Department of Sociology, The University of Western Ontario
• Dean’s Scholarship in Migration & Ethnic Relations, Western University
• Western International Graduate Student Scholarship, Western University