Place-Making and Gentrification in Kuzguncuk, Istanbul a Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School Of
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A VILLAGE IN THE CITY? PLACE-MAKING AND GENTRIFICATION IN KUZGUNCUK, ISTANBUL A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY EZGİ ALTINOK IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE PROGRAM OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY DECEMBER 2017 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycıoğlu Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assist. Prof. Dr. Besim Can Zırh Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof.Dr.Helga Rittersberger Tılıç (METU,SOC) Asst. Prof. Dr. Besim Can Zırh (METU, SOC) Asst. Prof. Dr. Katharina Bodirsky (Konstanz Uni, SOC) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Signature : iii ABSTRACT A VILLAGE IN THE CITY? PLACE-MAKING AND GENTRIFICATION IN KUZGUNCUK, ISTANBUL Altınok, Ezgi M.S., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Yar.Doç. Besim Can Zırh December 2017, 140 pages Kuzguncuk is small-scale historic and a gentrified neighbourhood located in Üsküdar, Istanbul. Kuzguncuk is considered as a village by its residents even though it is a very central and urban neighbourhood. This thesis aims to analyse village reference in Kuzguncuk and how village reference is a medium for place-making process in the neighbourhood. In order to analyse village reference, the narrative of multicultural past and the narrative of the mahalle will be focused to uncover the relationship between village-reference and place-making process. Later, this thesis will situate place-making process and village reference to gentrification debate. Gentrification is still a ‘hot’ topic that changes by the restructuring of urban systems. In this vein, re-gentrification of already gentrified neighbourhoods has become a subject to the discussion. Kuzguncuk will be elaborated within the new gentrification debates. The data of the thesis is collected by six month ethnographic field-work and will be analysed through the narratives. Keywords: place-making, gentrification, village, Kuzguncuk, Istanbul iv ÖZ Şehrin İçinde Bir Köy? Kuzgunuk, Istanbul’da Mekân Üretimi ve Soylulaştırma Altınok, Ezgi Yüksek Lisans, Sosyoloji Bölümü Danışman: Yar. Doç. Besim Can Zırh Aralık 2017, 140 sayfa Kuzguncuk İstanbul’da Üsküdar İlçesine bağlı küçük, tarihi ve ünlü bir mahalledir. Kuzguncuk mahalle sakinleri tarafından bir köy olarak kabul edilmektedir. Bu tez Kuzguncuktaki ‘köy’ atfını ve bu atfın mekân üretime ile olan ilişkisini analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Köy atfını analiz etmek için, çok kültürlü tarih ve mahalle anlatılarına odaklanarak mekân üretimi ve köy atfı arasındaki ilişkinin analizinin yapılması amaçlanmaktadır. Daha sonra, köy atfı ve mekân üretimi analizi soylulaştırma tartışmalarına konumlandırılacaktır. Soylulaştırma, hala, birçok disiplinde tartışılan bir konudur ve değişen dünya ile yeni tartışmalar ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu bağlamda, soylulaştırılmış mahallerin yeniden soylulaştırılması tartışması ortaya çıkmıştır ve Kuzguncuk bu yeni tartışmalar bağlamında analiz edilecektir. Bu tezin verileri altı ay süren etnografik saha çalışması sonucu elde edilmiş ve Kuzguncuktaki anlatılara odaklanarak analiz edilecektir. Anahtar Kelimeler: mekân üretimi, soylulaştırma, köy, Kuzguncuk, İstanbul v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank the residents of Kuzguncuk who participated in my research. Without them, of course, this research could not be completed. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Katharina Bodirsky for her advices, criticisms, patience and mostly for pushing my limits in every stage of this research. I am also thankful to Dr. Besim Can Zırh and Prof. Dr. Helga Rittersberger- Tılıç for their insightful comments and advices. I am thankful to the family of Karayılmaz; my aunt, uncle and my cousins who provided me a shelter, food and a loving environment throughout this research. I would like to thank my family; my mother, my father and my brother for their endless support in every stage of this research. You are the best! And lastly, I am thankful to my dear Ali Cem Gökpınar for making everything much easier for me. His infinite support, encouragements and endless patience made this thesis possible. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM............................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................iv ÖZ................................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..........................................................................................vi TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................xi Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1. The Research Questions and Research Interest.........................................3 1.2. Background Information...........................................................................5 1.3. The Content of the Thesis........................................................................14 2. Theoretical Framework 2.1. Place...........................................................................................................16 2.1.1. Socially Constructed Place.........................................................17 2.1.2. Re-conceptualizations of Place...................................................19 2.2. Defining Neighbourhood.........................................................................26 vii 2.3. Gentrification.....................................................................................28 2.3.1. The Causes of Gentrification................................................29 2.3.2. The Outcomes of Gentrification...........................................31 2.3.3. Gentrification Mutated.........................................................32 2.4. The Contribution of the Thesis.............................................................35 3. Methodology and Field-Work Experiences 3.1. Ethnography...........................................................................................37 3.2. Fieldwork Experiences...........................................................................41 3.2.1. Gaining Access..........................................................................41 3.2.2. Fieldwork Identities..................................................................43 4. A Walk In The Streets of Kuzguncuk 4.1. Icadiye Street............................................................................................47 4.2. Perihan Abla Street..................................................................................53 4.3. Üryanizade Street.....................................................................................55 4.4. Bereketli Street.........................................................................................59 4.5. Bostan Street............................................................................................62 4.6. Conclusion...............................................................................................65 viii 5. ‘Kuzguncuk was an actual village in the past’ 5.1. The Wealth Tax and 55 Events...............................................................68 5.2. Internal Migration....................................................................................72 5.3. The Narratives of Mutual Respect and Peaceful Village of Three Religions....................................................................................................................75 5.4. Conclusion..............................................................................................79 6. ‘Kuzguncuk is not a village anymore but it is still like a village’ 6.1. Knowing and Known in the Neighbourhood..........................................81 6.2. Culture in the Mahalle..............................................................................87 6.3. Place Identity and ‘Being One of Us’.....................................................89 6.4. Mahalle Life vs. City Life.......................................................................93 6.5. Conclusion.............................................................................................101 7. Villageification 7.1. The ‘Village’: Shifted Meanings...........................................................104 7.2. A Village in the City.............................................................................105 7.3. Re-Gentrification in Kuzguncuk...........................................................107 7.4. Conclusion.............................................................................................110 8. Conclusion............................................................................................................113 ix Bibliography.............................................................................................................119