Spatial Politics in Istanbul Turning Points in Contemporary Turkey

Analyses contemporary Turkish social and political transformation from 2010 to 2020 through the urban landscape of Istanbul
Analyses contemporary Turkey through the series of these key events, especially as they relate to the recent history of Istanbul
Uses an interdisciplinary perspective that incorporates the intersection of religion, politics and space through attention to architecture and the urban landscape
Adopts an accessible but rich interpretive method that covers a wide range of political and religious issues crucial to understanding Turkey's most recent history
Provides an original analysis of the decade of 2010-2020 in contemporary Turkish history through a series of case studies of the decade's key events
Uses an interdisciplinary perspective that incorporates the intersection of religion, politics and space through attention to architecture and the urban landscape
Utilises an accessible but rich interpretive method that covers a wide range of political and religious issues crucial to understanding Turkey's most recent history
Over the past decade, the AKP, under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has decisively turned Turkish politics in the direction of conservative Turkish Islamic national identity. Through an analysis of four case studies - the 2010 designation of Istanbul as the European Capital of Culture, the 2013 Gezi Park protests, the association of the first Bosphorus bridge with the 2016 coup attempt, and the transition of Hagia Sophia from museum to mosque in 2020 - the book identifies key moments of change and describes how the AKP has restructured public spaces in Istanbul to reflect its values.