Scenes from Gezi Park: Localisation, nationalism and globalisation in Turkey

This paper analyses the 2013 Gezi Park movement in Turkey that began with localised resistance to government plans to raze a historical public park in central Istanbul. The movement swiftly escalated into a national outcry that manifested itself in wider criticism of AKP (Justice and Development Party) policy. How did various protestors in Gezi Park comprehend and respond to the concerns raised by the movement? How did a local event trigger such a degree of national political activism among a host of different community actors in Turkey, and among those who are ordinarily ideologically and culturally opposed? Based on the findings of a qualitative study carried out in Gezi Park at the peak of the protests during June 2013, it is argued that certain patterns of revealed political disenfranchisement emerged alongside the wants and needs of marginalised Turks caught between conservatism and secularism, between localisation and globalisation, and between nationalism and majoritarianism. The theoretical emphasis of the paper is grounded in the data analysis, the aim being to present the major themes emerging from the range of responses from protesters situated in the park, and to provide a holistic perspective on them and the Gezi Park movement as seen from their specific standpoints. This study highlights how historical ethno-political and ethno-cultural distinctions can unfold to generate new urban social and political opportunities that are both interactive and transformative. Such mobilisation has implications for the future democratic and civil society potential of Turkey.