Occupy Gezi: History, Politics, Practice

Taksim Barracks (as stadium) c1930s

For over a week now, Istanbul and increasingly city centers in many parts of Turkey have witnessed the rise of an unprecedented protest movement variously referred to as Occupy Gezi or Resistanbul. Western media has been quick to herald another Arab Spring-type revolutionary event in the Muslim world while the Turkish government and media have largely downplayed the significant of these events. In this podcast, we will try to take a closer look at the nature of these protests, which began as an occupation of a park slated for destruction and are now something much more, considering the historical and political contexts as well as providing a first-hand description of what protests both in and outside of Istanbul look like.

Part One: Urban Transformation and Politics: the historical context and development of Occupy Gezi

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In part one of this podcast, we discuss the history of the Taksim area and Gezi Parkı in particular, focusing on the role of this space and its transformation in Turkish politics from the late Ottoman period onward. We then examine the wider political context of resistance to current government policies and the growth of the latest protest movement in Turkey.

Part Two: Occupying Space: political discontent in the twenty first century

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In part two of this podcast, we examine the anatomy of the Occupy Gezi movement and some aspects of its spread into different parts of Turkey and discuss possible implications of these protests within the wider context of Turkish politics as well as seemingly similar "leaderless revolutions" that coalesce around social media activity and the occupation of public space around the world.

Nilay Özlü is a PhD student at Boğaziçi University researching the urban transformation of Istanbul (see academia.edu)
Stefan Martens is a contributor at Hurriyet Daily News
Nir Shafir is a PhD candidate at UCLA studying Ottoman intellectual history (see academia.edu)
Elçin Arabacı is a PhD candidate at Georgetown Unversity focusing on the transformation of civil society in the late Ottoman period (see academia.edu)
Emrah Safa Gürkan is an Assistant Professor at 29 Mayıs University whose research focuses on the early modern Mediterranean (academia.edu)
Chris Gratien is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at Georgetown University (see academia.edu)

MUSIC

Boğaziçi University Jazz Choir - Çapulcu musun Vay Vay
Kardeş Türküler - Tencere Tava Havası
Oğuzhan Uğur - Birinci Vazife
Duman - Eyvallah

USEFUL LINKS

Collection of Gezi Park articles on readlists

Ötekilerin Postası

Occupy Gezi

Gezi Radyo
YouTube

Bülent Journal

History of Taksim

Emily Neumeier, "Taksim Through Time," Stambouline (May 30, 2013)
Nick Danforth, "Pervititich Maps," Afternoon Map (March 7, 2013)

Media coverage

Elif Batuman, "Occupy Gezi," The New Yorker (June 1, 2013)

Cihan Tuğal, "Occupy Gezi: The Limits of Turkey’s Neoliberal Success," Jadaliyya (June 4, 2013)
Kerem Öktem, "Contours of a New Republic and Signals from the Past: How to Understand Taksim Square," Jadaliyya (June 7, 2013)

Elif Shafak, "The view from Taksim," Guardian (June 3, 2013)

Soner Cagaptay, The Middle Class Strikes Back," New York Times (June 5, 2013)

"The new young Turks," The Economist (June 8, 2013)

Paul Mason, "Will gas canisters or yoga prevail in Turkish spring?" BBC (June 8, 2013)

AP, "A snapshot of protesters who have gathered in Istanbul’s Taksim Square," Washington Post (June 8, 2013)
"Six Turkish policemen commit suicide during Gezi protests, union head says," Hurriyet Daily News (June 9, 2013)
Hüseyin İstemil, Survey Regarding Gezi Park Protests, Taraf (June 6, 2013)
Timur Hammond and Elizabeth Angell, "Is Everywhere Taksim?" Jadaliyya (June 9, 2013)

IMAGES

Postcard Displaying Taksim Barracks (Topçu Kışlası) c1911

Pevitich Insurance Map Depiction of Gezi Parkı (c1945)

Sign Reads "Park Not Barracks" (May 29, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Protest Organization, Gezi Parkı (May 29, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

United Metalwork Syndicate (May 30, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Protest signs: sign on the left reads "Recep, give me a kiss" (May 30, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Lemons for fighting effects of tear gas used to spell out T.C. (Türk Cumhuriyeti - Turkish Republic)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Police Use Gas at Protest in Gezi Parkı (May 31, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Taksim Square (June 3, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Demonstrations in Gümüşsuyu, Istanbul (June 3, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Ataturk statue in Taksim Square (June 5, 2013)
Photograph by Chris Gratien

Demonstration in Uğur Mumcu Square in Antakya (June 1, 2013)
Photograph by Chris Gratien

Demonstration in Heykel Square in Bursa, Turkey (June 1, 2013)
Photograph by Elçin Arabacı

Demonstrations in Barış Park in Mersin, Turkey (June 3, 2013)
Photograph by Chris Gratien

Graffiti in Taksim area (June 4, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Supplies arrive in Gezi Parkı (June 4, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Needed supplies (June 4, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Food donation tent in Gezi Parkı (June 4, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Protester sitting in captured bus (June 6, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü

Gezi Park Library (June 6, 2013)
Photograph by Nilay Özlü