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Inequality and Uncertainty pp 105–118Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Protest and Taste: Socio-Spatial Restructuring of Moda After Gezi Protests

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Abstract

This paper argues that an emancipatory social movement might result in heightened political polarisation among social groups constrained by extant economic inequality. Based on the case study of gentrification in Moda neighbourhood in the aftermath of Gezi protests in 2013, this research highlights that the retreat of dissident urban youth from Taksim to Kadıköy and the rapid gentrification of Moda neighbourhood are the social manifestations of the overall process of neoliberal restructuring of Istanbul. Moreover, it analyses the newly opened third-wave cafés, pubs, and theatres as new territories and yaşam alanı (life space) of dissident urban youth. The in-depth interviews with new shop-owners and geospatial analysis of Moda neighbourhood suggest that gentrification produced a socio-spatial segmentation of politically differentiated consumption places in Moda neighbourhood. This paper shows that the politicisation of citadins is highly dependent on their daily practices of familiarising consumption places with their social space.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In Turkish political context, the term “republican” refers to the dissident seculars and sympathisers of the main opposition party, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Republican People’s Party).

  2. 2.

    “Kadıköy’den Taksim’e köprüden geçtiler” [They Crossed the Bridge and They Went from Kadıköy to Taksim]. Bianet. 1 June 2013. Retrieved from: https://bianet.org/bianet/siyaset/147111-kadikoy-den-taksim-e-kopruden-gectiler.

  3. 3.

    “Fenerbahçe ve Beşiktaş taraftar grupları Taksim’e yürüdü” [Supporters of Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş Arrived in Taksim]. Hürriyet. 8 June 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/fenerbahce-ve-besiktas-taraftar-gruplari-taksime-yurudu-23462125.

  4. 4.

    “Gezi ruhu Kadıköy’de” [The Spectre of Gezi is in Kadıköy]. Gazete Kadıköy. 20 June 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.gazetekadikoy.com.tr/genel/gezi-ruhu-kadikoyde-h4229.html.

  5. 5.

    Kocabıçak, Evren. “İşgal ve Mahalle Dayanışması” [Occupy Movement and Neighbourhood Solidarity]. Müştereklerimiz [Our Commons]. 20 December 2014. Retrieved from: http://mustereklerimiz.org/isgal-ve-mahalle-dayanismasi/.

  6. 6.

    Third-wave coffeehouses are anti-chain and independent small businesses run by coffee artisans or coffee hobbyists who serve “specialty coffee” to customers. They learn barista skills, spend large sum of money on coffee machines, coffee beans, and architectural design, and intend to create sophisticated services.

  7. 7.

    Moda is the central neighbourhood of Kadıköy county in Istanbul. Throughout the essay I have used Moda and Kadıköy interchangeably since the locals refer to Moda as Kadıköy.

  8. 8.

    I have used the terms “periphery” and “core” to denote the geographical location of an area. “Periphery” refers to the outer borders of the neighbourhood where the transportation network exists, and “core” refers to the inner-neighbourhood which is mostly composed of residential buildings and “alternative” consumption places (such as third-generation cafés, authentic pubs, etc.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

    Kaan Kubilay Aşar

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  1. Kaan Kubilay Aşar
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Sociology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

    Marta Smagacz-Poziemska

  2. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    M. Victoria Gómez

  3. NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Interdisciplinary Center of Social Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal

    Patrícia Pereira

  4. University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Laura Guarino

  5. Fachbereich Sozialwesen, FH Münster, Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Sebastian Kurtenbach

  6. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain

    Juan José Villalón

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Aşar, K.K. (2020). Protest and Taste: Socio-Spatial Restructuring of Moda After Gezi Protests. In: Smagacz-Poziemska, M., Gómez, M., Pereira, P., Guarino, L., Kurtenbach, S., Villalón, J. (eds) Inequality and Uncertainty. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9162-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9162-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-32-9161-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-32-9162-1

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