This book aims to expose an alternative local historical reading of the formation of a gecekondu space, a settlement of irregularly self-constructed habitats built by former peasants randomly over night. The social construction of the neighborhood space is narrated by means of insider perspectives and using qualitative techniques. In this reading, it will be made explicit that the dynamics of strategic interventions in local space, and tactical acts of the migrants in producing their locality are intertwined processes. The ethnic identities through sectarian and hometown affiliations have constituted the main means by which the migrants have developed certain tactics in dealing with the strategical acts on the vertical level (relations with the actors of urban planning and local politics) and other tactical acts on the horizontal level (relations with other sectarian and hometown groups in the locality).

Autorentext
The Author: Neslihan Demirtas mainly works on urban politics. Her research interests are politics of space/identity, neoliberal urban policies and peripheral low-income settlements. She completed her Ph.D. studies at Bilkent University (Turkey), Department of Political Science and has been a member of Izmir University of Economics (Turkey), Department of Media and Communication since 2005.

Inhalt

Contents: Turkish Gecekondu (Squatter) History - Representation of Gecekondu Settlements - Modernist Urban Strategy - Tactics of Migrants - Spontaneous Spaces - Neoliberal Urban and Identity Politics - Spatial Contingency - Islamist Local Governments - Alevi and Sunni Identities - Power Relations on the Vertical and Horizontal Level.