Making sense of the protests in Turkey (and Brazil): contesting neo-liberal urbanism in ‘Rebel Cities’

Gokay, Bulent; Shain, Farzana

Abstract

The article is organised in five parts: first, we offer a brief overview of the protests and the concept of the ‘right to the city’; second, we discuss arguments about the role of democracy and representation, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian leadership style in relation to the cause of the protests; third, we put forward our case for comparing the protests with those which occurred in similarly rising economies, namely Brazil, rather than the demonstrations that occurred in countries experiencing a downward economic turn; fourth, we explore the role of young people in the protests; and finally, we look at where the movement is now.

Citation

Gokay, B., & Shain, F. (2015). Making sense of the protests in Turkey (and Brazil): contesting neo-liberal urbanism in ‘Rebel Cities’. Estudos Ibero-Americanos, 41(2), 242 -261. https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-864X.2015.2.21732

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 25, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Nov 29, 2015
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: May 26, 2023
• Journal: Estudos Ibero-Americanos
• Print ISSN: 0101-4064
• Publisher: ediPUCRS
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 242 -261
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-864X.2015.2.21732
• Keywords: Turkey; popular protests; urbanization; democratization
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.15448/1980-864X.2015.2.21732