Nurcan Atalan-Helicke

Associate Professor 

Contact Information:
Office: 
Phone:  518-580-8372
E-mail: natalanh@skidmore.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Education

• Ph.D. Ohio State University, Geography
• M. A., Bilkent University, International Relations
• B. A., Middle East Technical University, International Relations

Courses Taught at Skidmore

• ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
• ES 224 Political Ecology (civic engagement course)
• ES 303 The Politics of Food
• ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
• ES 302 Environment and Development in the Middle East 

Research Interests

• Conservation of agricultural biodiversity
• Access to healthy food
• Genetically engineered food and Islam
• Critical pedagogies and sustainability

Publications

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2020. "Sustainable Halal? The Intersection of Halal, Organic and Genetically Engineered Food in Turkey." Sociology of Islam 8(3-4): 343-363.

• Abiral, B. and N. Atalan-Helicke. 2020.”Trusting food supply chains during the pandemic: reflections from Turkey and the U.S.” Food and Foodways 28(3): 226-236.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2020. "Access to Healthy and Clean Food in Turkey: Food Activism and Mothers’ Concerns about Shopping for Change." In Environmental Activism and the Maternal: Mothers and Mother Earth in Activism and Discourse. Edited by R. J. Bromwich, N. Richard, O. Ungar, M. Younger and M. Symons. Demeter Press.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2019. "Markets and collective action: a case study of traditional wheat varieties in Turkey." Journal of Economy Culture and Society 59 (1): 13-30.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2018. "You Can Never Give Up Siyez If You Taste It Once”: Local Taste, Global Markets, and the Conservation of Einkorn, an Ancient Wheat. Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies 18(2): 33-45.

• Marten, G. and N. Atalan-Helicke. 2015. “Introduction to the Symposium American Food Resilience” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences 5 (3): 308-320.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2015. “Seed Exchange Networks and Food System Resilience in the United States” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 5(4): 636-649.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2015. "The Halal Paradox: Negotiating identity, religious values and genetically-engineered food in Turkey" Agriculture and Human Values. 32 (4): 663-674.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2014. "Learning and Promoting Urban Sustainability: Environmental Service Learning in an Undergraduate Environmental Studies Curriculum Environmental Studies and Sciences" Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 4 (4): 294-300.

• Atalan-Helicke, N. and B. Mansfield  2012.“Seed Governance at the Intersection of Multiple Global and Nation-State Priorities: Modernizing Seeds in Turkey”  Global Environmental Politics. 12 (4): 125–146.

Collaborative Research

• Atalan-Helicke, N, A.J. Schneller, H. Alemayehu Mebrate*, C. Gonzalez*, C. Lois* (Accepted) “Seed Libraries in the U.S.: Regulations, Seed Saving, Seed Sharing and Seed Sovereignty” In Food Policy and Politics: The Role of Public Administration in the U.S. Food System. Edited by In B. Hoflund, J. Jones and M. Pautz. Lexington Books

• Atalan-Helicke, N. and C. Bettigole “Participatory Mapping and Wheat Landrace Conservation and Utilization in Turkey” (ArcGIS StoryMap)
• Atalan-Helicke, N. and H. Melek. “Municipalities and Local Government Actors in Marketing of Wheat Landraces in Turkey”

* denotes student authors

Other Research

• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2019. “Wheat Landraces and Gender Perspectives in Turkey: Consumer Expectations, Concerns and Willingness to Pay.” A report for CIMMYT (The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center). Executive Summary.
• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2019. “Value Chain Analysis for Four Wheat Landraces (Karakılçık, Sarı Bursa, Sarı Buğday, Üveyik) in Turkey” A report for CIMMYT (The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center). Executive Summary.