Sosyo-Ekonomik Değişmeyle Başa Çıkmak: Küçük Esnafın Taktikleri

Abstract

As a result of economic and social transformations, new professions arise, and some established professions diminish or reform themselves. In this context, small shopkeepers based on commercial or arts & crafts activities develop new methods to survive in new settings. In order to explore this phenomenon qualitatively, a neighborhood in the inner city of Istanbul with a rich variety of small businesses was chosen. In-depth interviews and participant observations we re conducted with a limited sample of shops that have survived at least 15 years. They compete against increasing taxes, changing laws and legislations, a growing impact of chain stores and authorized sellers, and changing cooperation and conflict relations with local economic actors. They also try to keep up with changing consumption patterns and expectations of their clients. Small shopkeepers’ efforts to survive we re analyzed referring to the concept of “tactic,” defined by de Certeau as practical solutions created by ordinary individual actors, as opposed to “strategies”, meaning institutional macro regulations. In particular, we re-analyzed three types of tactics developed by small shopkeepers against changing socio-economic conditions: widening the range of products and services within the borders of their professions, providing customer-specific services, and creating informal solidarity networks.