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The Gezi Resistance of Turkey as Young People’s Counter-Conduct

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Young People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Young People and Politics ((PSYPP))

Abstract

This chapter examines the Gezi Resistance as a counter-conduct led by young people in Turkey. It demonstrates that young protesters counteract the promotion of consumerist lifestyles, conservative and family-based social policies, and the silencing of the media by the ruling JDP party. Furthermore, it argues that young people invent and perform a particular political subjectivity known as “the Gezi Spirit” that give priority to openness, inclusiveness, autonomy and freedom over consumerism, conservatism and authoritarianism. By doing this, young protesters transform the image of youth depicted as individualist, consumerist and cynical subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Nilay Çabuk Kaya & Haktan Ural

Authors
  1. Nilay Çabuk Kaya
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  2. Haktan Ural
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Correspondence to Haktan Ural .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France

    Sarah Pickard

  2. RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

    Judith Bessant

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Çabuk Kaya, N., Ural, H. (2018). The Gezi Resistance of Turkey as Young People’s Counter-Conduct. In: Pickard, S., Bessant, J. (eds) Young People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises. Palgrave Studies in Young People and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58250-4_11

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