Abstract
May 2013 saw Istanbul witness a massive public demonstration. The incident began on 28 May when a small group of environmental activists tried to save Gezi Park, one of the most iconic green spaces in the Taksim district of central Istanbul. The park dates back to the 1940s and is well-known as public promenade. The modest demonstration was triggered by a government decision to reconstruct a former Ottoman Artillery Barracks. Within a few days, it developed into a violent uprising on an unprecedented scale lasting almost an entire month. Crowds not only gathered in Istanbul but also in many other Turkish cities such as the capital, Ankara. International media broadcast the protests live from Taksim Square turning the Gezi Park protest into an international phenomenon. Today the Park has become a reference point in Turkish politics where almost every issue is linked to the ‘spirit of Gezi’. It made a modest protest over an inner city promenade into a vivid symbol of political opposition. This paper will analyse historically the Taksim Square project and the ideological conflicts it evoked in Turkish society.
Highlights
Cities throughout history have functioned as vivid symbols of the civilisations to which they belong
Likewise Spiro Kostof argues that ‘In every age urban spaces – streets and squares – have served to stage spectacles in which the citizenry participated as players and audience’ and that ‘the dramatization of urban form was a function of autocracy’ from the political point of view (Kostof 1999)
Capital cities have been used as platforms for state rituals, festivals, celebrations and other public events where space and building alike can embody symbolic meaning with reference to political power, the nobility and the wider public
Summary
Cities throughout history have functioned as vivid symbols of the civilisations to which they belong. Istanbul’s Taksim Square is such a place with a powerful historic association and meaning in respect of political power, celebration and public demonstration. The Square became associated with many public events such as political rallies, labour demonstrations, New Year jamborees and national football celebrations Today it is a powerful symbol for many social and ideologically based causes: a place where protest groups traditionally air their grievances. The paper will first appraise the historical development of Taksim Square and its role in Turkish politics from the Late Ottoman period when Taksim played a pivotal role in attempts to resuscitate an aged empire It will analyse the contemporary events and battles waged over fundamental ideological value sets that catapulted Taksim to national and international prominence.
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