Oguz Ozalp is a PhD Candidate in Public Affairs and Community Development at Rutgers–Camden. Ozalp's scholarship examines civil society, immigrant communities, and the democratic engagement of civic actors operating within shifting political narratives and dynamics. Ozalp's doctoral dissertation investigates how immigrant-serving organizations in New Jersey adapt to sustain democratic participation under federal political pressure, drawing on conceptual engagement and qualitative methodology, specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Ozalp also serves as a Research Assistant at the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs, where grounded, community-facing research extends this work into public scholarship.

Safe Haven, Political Bind: Sustaining Democratic Engagement Among Immigrant-Serving Organizations in New Jersey

Across New Jersey, community organizations help nearly two million immigrant residents take part in civic life; ranging from registering to vote, understanding their rights, joining coalitions, to speaking at public hearings. This project examines how these organizations adapt and survive as federal political pressure on immigrants intensifies. Civil society is one of the touchstones of democracy, and the work these organizations do is part of what makes democratic life accessible to immigrant communities in the United States.