Profile
Gamze Ongan
Birth:
1958
Training Location(s):
Mag., University of Vienna (1990)
Primary Affiliation(s):
Peregrina - Center for Education, Counseling and Therapy of Immigrant Women
„Stimme“ - Zeitschrift der Initiative Minderheiten [ „Voice“ - Journal of the Minorities Initiative]
Career Focus:
Women’s counseling.
Biography
Gamze Ongan was the chairwoman of the education, counseling and therapy center Peregrina from 1993 to 2020. Since 2008, she has been the editor-in-chief of Stimme - Zeitschrift der Initiative Minderheiten [“Voice - Journal of the Minorities Initiative”]. She was involved in social, cultural and public relations work for migrant women and developed action strategies against racism.
Gamze Ongan was born on May 26, 1958 in Trabzon, Turkey. Ongan grew up in a culturally interested and social democratic-oriented family, in which social commitment and education were important. Ongan describes her father in particular as being a formative influence on her life. He initiated numerous cultural and educational projects.
She attended the Austrian School in Istanbul and completed a short course of study in Marketing and Management in Istanbul. She then moved to Vienna to pursue Theater Studies and Philosophy to tie in with her father's interests. During her studies she became increasingly interested in socio-political issues such as right-wing politics, anti-Semitism, Holocaust memorial work, migration, and racism. In 1991, a friend offered her a job with Peregrina as a social counselor for migrant women. In the same year she became the chairwoman of the migrant women's organization. After her first job as a counselor, Gamze Ongan focused on administration and public relations, and from 1993 on she was fully employed at Peregrina. In 2020, the year of her retirement, she can look back on over 29 years of work there. What she considers special about Peregrina is the strong integration of the clients' experiences of migration and racism into their counseling approach. Ongan, who actually wanted to return to Turkey after her studies, found an enriching vocation at Peregrina: "So my destiny was something social after all, yes. (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
The counseling center, which was initially called "Society of solidarity of women from Austria and Turkey", was founded in 1984. When Ongan joined, they were a small grassroots team with simple administration; all women took responsibility for all tasks. Over the years the team expanded to 16-20 women of different professions. A proper organizational structure was developed, internal training courses were established, and new programs for clients were created (e.g. psychological counseling, climate protection workshops). According to Ongan, the practical work with clients generates a rich knowledge of the needs of migrant women, so new projects and programs can be developed "from the bottom up". This practical knowledge is very valuable in order to make their needs visible in the first place.
Over the years, Ongan has worked on several research projects, partly in cooperation with other Austrian women's organizations such as MAIZ, LEFÖ, Miteinander Lernen, or Orient Express within the framework of EU projects. Deeply affected by the arson attacks against migrant homes in Solingen and Mölln, Germany, Gamze Ongan and her colleague Christa Kleiner developed concepts for anti-racism workshops in the early 1990s. They conducted them for various target groups, including administrative staff, teachers, police officers, and also for those affected by racism — a learning opportunity, as Ongan recalls: "Of course I learned from their survival strategies, what they had to learn to survive in this racist society, so what I wanted to do in these workshops was to strengthen ourselves and find strategies together" (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
For Ongan, her own drive for further education and open discussion has always been important, not only to acquire new methods for her anti-racism work, but also to gain knowledge about the background and living conditions of her client groups. Although Ongan is affected by discrimination as an immigrant in Austria, she sees herself in a relatively privileged position. Through her practical work with underprivileged minorities, she developed a strong awareness of discrimination and its effects: "Of course I have analyzed this for myself, I came here in a privileged position and I made this experience as an adult, it is something different if you were born here as a "guest worker“ child, then you learn from an early age, you see and develop this consciously or unconsciously" (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
Based on this knowledge, Gamze Ongan pursues her work with strong principles: To use her voice, to stand up for her convictions, and not to be afraid to speak openly and publicly about political and social injustices:
"My experience is that if you work honestly ... you can indeed criticize politics. Our work, our achievements, it allows me to voice criticism loudly, what we have always done and ... it did not cause any harm, quite the contrary, we are appreciated today, [and have] also heard from funding partners that it is good that we are political, that we are loud, that we not only counsel but also interfere in politics, and that we are very reliable. So, yes, I can look back at this great experience" (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
Apart from her work at the counseling center, Ongan was research manager and co-author of the exhibition "Gastarbajteri - 40 Years of Labour Migration" at the Wien Museum in 2004. She was also active in the association Initiative Minderheiten and has been editor-in-chief of "Stimme" (“Voice”), the magazine of the initiative, since 2008. She has published several articles, including articles on the topic of forced marriage, and was co-author and editor of "Viel Glück! Migration heute" ("Good luck! Migration today") in 2010.
By Nina Franke & Barbara Rothmüller (2020)
To cite this article, see Credits
Selected Works
By Gamze Ongan
Initiative Minderheiten (Ed.). (2010). Viel Glück! Migration Heute. Wien, Belgrad, Zagreb, Istanbul. Mandelbaum.
Ongan, G. (2008). „Zuschreiben oder ernsthaftes Bekämpfen.“ In Sauer, B., & Strasser, S. (Eds.), Multikulturalität und Feminismus (pp. 157-171). Promedia.
Ongan, G., & Kogoj, C. (2012). Die Ausstellung Gastarbajteri. 40 Jahre Arbeitsmigration. Migrationsgeschichte aus NGO-Perspektive. In Wonisch, R., & Hübel, T. (Eds.), Museum und Migration. Konzepte - Kontexte - Kontroversen (pp. 89-113). transcript.
By and about Gamze Ongan
Ongan, G. ( 2020, January 1). Interviewed by B. Rothmüller [Audio Recording].
Gamze Ongan
Birth:
1958
Training Location(s):
Mag., University of Vienna (1990)
Primary Affiliation(s):
Peregrina - Center for Education, Counseling and Therapy of Immigrant Women
„Stimme“ - Zeitschrift der Initiative Minderheiten [ „Voice“ - Journal of the Minorities Initiative]
Career Focus:
Women’s counseling.
Biography
Gamze Ongan was the chairwoman of the education, counseling and therapy center Peregrina from 1993 to 2020. Since 2008, she has been the editor-in-chief of Stimme - Zeitschrift der Initiative Minderheiten [“Voice - Journal of the Minorities Initiative”]. She was involved in social, cultural and public relations work for migrant women and developed action strategies against racism.
Gamze Ongan was born on May 26, 1958 in Trabzon, Turkey. Ongan grew up in a culturally interested and social democratic-oriented family, in which social commitment and education were important. Ongan describes her father in particular as being a formative influence on her life. He initiated numerous cultural and educational projects.
She attended the Austrian School in Istanbul and completed a short course of study in Marketing and Management in Istanbul. She then moved to Vienna to pursue Theater Studies and Philosophy to tie in with her father's interests. During her studies she became increasingly interested in socio-political issues such as right-wing politics, anti-Semitism, Holocaust memorial work, migration, and racism. In 1991, a friend offered her a job with Peregrina as a social counselor for migrant women. In the same year she became the chairwoman of the migrant women's organization. After her first job as a counselor, Gamze Ongan focused on administration and public relations, and from 1993 on she was fully employed at Peregrina. In 2020, the year of her retirement, she can look back on over 29 years of work there. What she considers special about Peregrina is the strong integration of the clients' experiences of migration and racism into their counseling approach. Ongan, who actually wanted to return to Turkey after her studies, found an enriching vocation at Peregrina: "So my destiny was something social after all, yes. (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
The counseling center, which was initially called "Society of solidarity of women from Austria and Turkey", was founded in 1984. When Ongan joined, they were a small grassroots team with simple administration; all women took responsibility for all tasks. Over the years the team expanded to 16-20 women of different professions. A proper organizational structure was developed, internal training courses were established, and new programs for clients were created (e.g. psychological counseling, climate protection workshops). According to Ongan, the practical work with clients generates a rich knowledge of the needs of migrant women, so new projects and programs can be developed "from the bottom up". This practical knowledge is very valuable in order to make their needs visible in the first place.
Over the years, Ongan has worked on several research projects, partly in cooperation with other Austrian women's organizations such as MAIZ, LEFÖ, Miteinander Lernen, or Orient Express within the framework of EU projects. Deeply affected by the arson attacks against migrant homes in Solingen and Mölln, Germany, Gamze Ongan and her colleague Christa Kleiner developed concepts for anti-racism workshops in the early 1990s. They conducted them for various target groups, including administrative staff, teachers, police officers, and also for those affected by racism — a learning opportunity, as Ongan recalls: "Of course I learned from their survival strategies, what they had to learn to survive in this racist society, so what I wanted to do in these workshops was to strengthen ourselves and find strategies together" (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
For Ongan, her own drive for further education and open discussion has always been important, not only to acquire new methods for her anti-racism work, but also to gain knowledge about the background and living conditions of her client groups. Although Ongan is affected by discrimination as an immigrant in Austria, she sees herself in a relatively privileged position. Through her practical work with underprivileged minorities, she developed a strong awareness of discrimination and its effects: "Of course I have analyzed this for myself, I came here in a privileged position and I made this experience as an adult, it is something different if you were born here as a "guest worker“ child, then you learn from an early age, you see and develop this consciously or unconsciously" (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
Based on this knowledge, Gamze Ongan pursues her work with strong principles: To use her voice, to stand up for her convictions, and not to be afraid to speak openly and publicly about political and social injustices:
"My experience is that if you work honestly ... you can indeed criticize politics. Our work, our achievements, it allows me to voice criticism loudly, what we have always done and ... it did not cause any harm, quite the contrary, we are appreciated today, [and have] also heard from funding partners that it is good that we are political, that we are loud, that we not only counsel but also interfere in politics, and that we are very reliable. So, yes, I can look back at this great experience" (Ongan, 2020, Interview with B. Rothmüller).
Apart from her work at the counseling center, Ongan was research manager and co-author of the exhibition "Gastarbajteri - 40 Years of Labour Migration" at the Wien Museum in 2004. She was also active in the association Initiative Minderheiten and has been editor-in-chief of "Stimme" (“Voice”), the magazine of the initiative, since 2008. She has published several articles, including articles on the topic of forced marriage, and was co-author and editor of "Viel Glück! Migration heute" ("Good luck! Migration today") in 2010.
By Nina Franke & Barbara Rothmüller (2020)
To cite this article, see Credits
Selected Works
By Gamze Ongan
Initiative Minderheiten (Ed.). (2010). Viel Glück! Migration Heute. Wien, Belgrad, Zagreb, Istanbul. Mandelbaum.
Ongan, G. (2008). „Zuschreiben oder ernsthaftes Bekämpfen.“ In Sauer, B., & Strasser, S. (Eds.), Multikulturalität und Feminismus (pp. 157-171). Promedia.
Ongan, G., & Kogoj, C. (2012). Die Ausstellung Gastarbajteri. 40 Jahre Arbeitsmigration. Migrationsgeschichte aus NGO-Perspektive. In Wonisch, R., & Hübel, T. (Eds.), Museum und Migration. Konzepte - Kontexte - Kontroversen (pp. 89-113). transcript.
By and about Gamze Ongan
Ongan, G. ( 2020, January 1). Interviewed by B. Rothmüller [Audio Recording].