The City Is Ours: Spaces of Political Mobilization and Imaginaries of Nationhood in Turkey

The City is Ours accounts how urban politics mediated the rise of Kurdish nationhood and mobilization in Diyarbakır, Turkey. Muna Güvenç elucidates how urban and architectural forms are not merely the backdrop of the cityscape where political struggles unfold; they constitute the very essence of these conflicts. Güvenç posits that urban spaces offer ＂wiggle room＂, turning oppression into chances for dissent and resilience and offering opportunities for vulnerable minority groups to create sociopolitical blocs and mobilizations.

Güvenç takes readers from municipal halls to the streets and illustrates how, in the early 2000s, pro-Kurdish parties harnessed urban planning to resist coercion and foster Kurdish mobilization in Turkey. Güvenç challenges readers to rethink urban neoliberalism, new forms of nationalisms and mobilizations, and the ways they shape cities and politics. The City is Ours is a profound awakening, an invitation to all architects and urban planners, urging them to rise above the confines of their blueprints and embrace the vast tapestry of the politics of space.

Muna Güvenç is an Assistant Professor at Brandeis University. Prior to her academic career, she worked as an architect in Istanbul, Turkey.