Everywhere Taksim


Book Description

In May 2013, a small group of protesters made camp in Istanbul's Taksim Square, protesting the privatisation of what had long been a vibrant public space. When the police responded to the demonstration with brutality, the protests exploded in size and force, quickly becoming a massive statement of opposition to the Turkish regime. This book assembles a collection of field research, data, theoretical analyses, and cross-country comparisons to show the significance of the protests both within Turkey and throughout the world.




The Making of a Protest Movement in Turkey


Book Description

The aim of this collection of essays, the first academic book on the topic in English, is to offer a preliminary analysis of Gezi protests and address the following questions: 'How can we account for the protests?' and 'Who were the protesters?'




Resistance Everywhere


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The Gezi Park Protests


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Protest Public Relations


Book Description

Global movements and protests from the Arab Spring to the Occupy Movement have been attributed to growing access to social media, while without it, local causes like #bringbackourgirls and the ice bucket challenge may have otherwise remained unheard and unseen. Regardless of their nature – advocacy, activism, protest or dissent – and beyond the technological ability of digital and social media to connect support, these major events have all been the results of excellent communication and public relations. But PR remains seen only as the defender of corporate and capitalist interests, and therefore resistant to outside voices such as activists, NGOs, union members, protesters and whistle-blowers. Drawing on contributions from around the world to examine the concepts and practice of "activist," "protest" and "dissent" public relations, this book challenges this view. Using a range of international examples, it explores the changing nature of protest and its relationship with PR and provides a radical analysis of the communication strategies and tactics of social movements and activist groups and their campaigns. This thought-provoking collection will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of public relations, strategic communication, political science, politics, journalism, marketing, and advertising, and also to PR professionals in think tanks and NGOs.




In the Aftermath of Gezi


Book Description

This edited volume addresses various aspects of social and political development in Turkey and the latter’s role within a global context. Paradigmatically and theoretically, it is situated in the realm of communication and/for social change. The chapters thread together to present a fresh and innovative study that explores an array of issues related to the Gezi protests and their aftermath by scholars and activists from Scandinavia, Turkey and India. Through its thorough analysis of the government’s repressive policy and the communication strategies of resistance, during the protests as well as in the dramatic on-going aftermath, the volume has wide international and interdisciplinary appeal, suitable for those with an interest in globalization, communication and media, politics, and social change.




Another Brick in the Barricade: The Gezi Resistance and Its Aftermath


Book Description

„After more than two years, what has remained of the Gezi Park protests?“ „Is Gezi`s critique of political power still valid?“ „What has changed after Gezi?“ These valid questions linger; not properly answered, not yet properly discussed. Perhaps Gezi`s enduring effects and legacy can be discovered in the resistances, dissents and practices of political critique that have been created since June 2013. In this book, fourteen authors discuss and elaborate on such questions from both political and quotidian perspectives. Critique of the power of the multitude, the anthropology and ethnography of resistance, the causes, effects and continuity of the Gezi Park protests are among the issues covered in „Another Brick in the Barricade: The Gezi Resistance and Its Aftermath.“ This book does not offer all-explaining narratives of singular objective truths. It does not represent the whole of the multitude. A wide perspective of analyses ranging from political science to sociology, psychology to anthropology, economics to media studies consider Gezi resistance not only as an exceptional state of resistance, but also in terms of the new possibilities it offers for political critique. These possibilities constitute the fieldwork for academic studies, which in turn become part of social struggle. This volume seeks to make diversity its distinguishing aspect. The phenomena it considers - Gezi and its aftermath - requires this. The interdisciplinary approach and variety of discussions in the volume provide not just critique about power and dominance in Turkey, but also inspire resistance against domination and power around the world.




Twitter and Tear Gas


Book Description

A firsthand account and incisive analysis of modern protest, revealing internet-fueled social movements’ greatest strengths and frequent challenges To understand a thwarted Turkish coup, an anti–Wall Street encampment, and a packed Tahrir Square, we must first comprehend the power and the weaknesses of using new technologies to mobilize large numbers of people. An incisive observer, writer, and participant in today’s social movements, Zeynep Tufekci explains in this accessible and compelling book the nuanced trajectories of modern protests—how they form, how they operate differently from past protests, and why they have difficulty persisting in their long-term quests for change. Tufekci speaks from direct experience, combining on-the-ground interviews with insightful analysis. She describes how the internet helped the Zapatista uprisings in Mexico, the necessity of remote Twitter users to organize medical supplies during Arab Spring, the refusal to use bullhorns in the Occupy Movement that started in New York, and the empowering effect of tear gas in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. These details from life inside social movements complete a moving investigation of authority, technology, and culture—and offer essential insights into the future of governance.




Challenging Neoliberalism at Turkey’s Gezi Park


Book Description

In Challenging Neoliberalism at Turkey's Gezi Park, Gürcan and Peker explore the events of May 31, 2013, when what began as a localized demonstration against the demolition of Gezi Park, a public park in Istanbul turned into a nationwide protest cycle with an unprecedented form and scale never before seen in Turkey's history.




Contentious Politics in the Middle East


Book Description

While the Arab people took center stage in the Arab Spring protests, academic studies have focused more on structural factors to understand the limitations of these popular uprisings. This book analyzes the role and complexities of popular agency in the Arab Spring through the framework of contentious politics and social movement theory.