This study investigates the structural conditions shaping engineering practice and production in Northern Cyprus within the broader context of global transformation. While technological advancement has enabled unprecedented levels of connectivity and integration worldwide, participation in these systems remains uneven. Drawing on theories of network society, power, and symbolic recognition, the article argues that the challenges faced by Turkish Cypriot engineers and firms are not rooted in a lack of technical capability but in systemic barriers that restrict access, visibility, and validation within global infrastructures. Conceptualized as “invisible barriers,” these constraints operate not through direct prohibition but through limitations on recognition, […]