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“Urban renewal with dancing and music”?
The renewal machine's struggle to organize hegemony in Turkey
in Focaal
Abstract
In 2012, an urban renewal project in Eskişehir, Turkey, was initiated with claims of “festive renewal,” challenging the theories of critical urban studies that emphasize the disruptive effects of such projects. Built on a discussion about hegemony, which deploys consent and dissent in its organization, this article ethnographically investigates the tactics and strategies of the renewal machine that mobilized and co-opted parts of the locals into the project while invoking layers of dissent, distrust, and discomfort. The article discusses how historically built political, socioeconomic, and gender inequalities were efficiently detected, reconstituted, and put into the service of the renewal machine while revealing tension and dynamism behind the “festive renewal.” It shows a fragility of hegemony that is neither a given nor a completed template.
Contributor Notes
Cansu Civelek received her undergraduate degree from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Middle East Technical University in 2010 and completed her postgraduate study in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna in 2013. Based on her master's research, she completed her first documentary, Warning! Karapınar: Voices from an Urban Regeneration in 2015. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Vienna. Email: civelekcansu@gmail.com
