Everything in English

The Gates (Lannoo, 2024) offers an in-depth exploration of the recent history of urban 'gate areas': superdiverse neighborhoods that have shaped and reshaped city life over the past 200 years.  Drawing from her research in the 'gate neighborhoods' of her hometown Ghent, she presents a fresh perspective on urban and migration history.  In the book, she examines why and how specific neighborhoods evolved into arrival zones for generations of newcomers. She also delves into the significance of these areas for local communities, highlighting their unique infrastructure, public spaces, and economic networks, and their profound impact on people's lives. Furthermore, she explores how these neighborhoods became incubators for new social structures, including grassroots organizations and activist movements. The book underscores the deep, intrinsic link between urbanity and global mobility.

Turkey on the Lys (Lannoo, 2014) was the first book Tina published. It provides a detailed account of  the history of the Turkish migration to Ghent (1964-2014). It was groundbreaking for being one of the first books in Belgium to focus on recent migration history. Moreover, the book was critically acclaimed for its 'from below' perspective, being based on over a 100 testimonies. 

The book served as a basis for several projects  on migration history and heritage in superdiversity in Ghent and Flanders, such as exhibitions and research projects.

Tina has written several other books on migration history. Sadly, none have been translated in English (yet).

As a freelance public historian, Tina conceptualises, researches and curates heritage projects. She has worked together with many organisations in different sectors, but her main partner for many years has been the Ghent City Museum STAM. In 2014 she curated the exhibition 'Sticking Around' for STAM (an exhibition in which 35 locations that were created by recent migration were made visible). 

In 2018 she was commissioned by the museum to travel around the 'gate areas' of the city for the groundbreaking participatory heritage project De Vierkante Kilometer / The Square Kilometer, for which she created the concept of 'historian in residence'.

Tina is a much sought after public speaker, more specifically on migration history and heritage in superdiversity. She is also a keen urban walker and integrates walking in all aspects of her work: she uses it for fieldwork, conducts walking interviews and of course she takes history lovers, locals, students, organisations and others on walking tours in the non-touristic parts to introduce them into 'hidden histories'. She worked out several walking plans for neighborhoods. Each year during the Ghent festival (Gentse Feesten, july) she offers audiences a glimpse of what she's been working on that year, by translating her most recent discoveries into walking tours. 

She does walks in English as well.