ŞENTEPE IN MEMORIES: A FIELD RESEARCH ON GECEKONDU, MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY GÖZDE ARIK IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY NOVEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Saktanber 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 Assist. Prof. Dr. Göze Orhon (Hacettepe Uni., İLE) Assist. Prof. Dr. Besim Can Zırh (METU, SOC) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şen (METU, 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 : Gözde Arık Signature : iii ABSTRACT ŞENTEPE IN MEMORIES: A FIELD RESEARCH ON GECEKONDU, MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA Arık, Gözde MS., The Department of Social Anthropology Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Besim Can Zırh November 2019, 185 pages Gecekondu is one of the most frequently researched and much-debated phenomenona by the academia in Turkey. Within the frame of latest urban policies, gecekondu houses have started to be demolished and new apartment blocks have been constructed instead. However, when evaluated integrally, it could be seen that gecekondu and memories regarding gecekondu continue to affect dwellers’ life. Moreover, how the life in gecekondu is remembered constitutes legitimacy ground for urban transformation projects. In present-day conditions, it requires to be analyzed through the conceptual tool memory due to physical demolition of gecekondus. In this study, Şentepe, a previous gecekondu neighbourhood under transformation in Ankara is studied. Through twenty-nine semi-structured in depth interviews with the previous gecekondu, current apartment residents have been conducted in order to look at the changes in the life of the dwellers. Consequently, in the narratives of dwellers, nostalgic tone carrying positive attributions on the previous solidarity and collective practices in gecekondus has been found. Lastly, meaning of this nostalgic tone is discussed. Keywords: Gecekondu, memory, nostalgia, Ankara, Şentepe iv ÖZ BELLEKLERDEKİ ŞENTEPE: GECEKONDU, BELLEK VE NOSTALJİ ÜZERİNE BİR ALAN ÇALIŞMASI Arık, Gözde Yüksek Lisans, Sosyal Antropoloji Bölümü Tez Danışmanı: Doktor Öğretim Üyesi Besim Can Zırh Kasım 2019, 185 sayfa Gecekondu, Türkiye akademisi tarafından en sık araştırılan ve tartışılan olgulardan biridir. Güncel kent politikaları çerçevesinde yıkılmaya başlanan gecekonduların yerine yeni apartman blokları yapılmaya başlandı. Ancak, değişikliklere bütünsel olarak bakıldığında görülebilecektir ki, gecekondu ve gecekondu ile ilgili anılar, sakinlerin yaşamını etkilemeye devam etmektedir. Dahası, gecekondulardaki yaşamın nasıl hatırlandığı, kentsel dönüşüm projeleri için meşruiyet zeminini oluşturur. Günümüz koşullarında, gecekonduların fiziksel varlığı kaybolduğundan, söz konusu gerçeklik bellek kavramı ile analiz edilmeye ihtiyaç duymaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Ankara’da dönüşüm altında olan eski bir gecekondu mahallesi olan Şentepe mahallesi incelenmiştir. Mahallede günlük yaşamın nasıl değiştiğine bakabilmek için, burada dönüşümlerden önce gecekondularda oturmuş, sonrasında apartmanlara taşınmış yirmi dokuz kişi ile yarı yapılandırılmış derinlemesine mülakatlar yapılmıştır. Sonuç itibarıyla, sakinlerin anlatılarında, eski gecekondu mahallesindeki dayanışma ve kolektif pratiklere olumlu bir atıf taşıyan nostaljik bir ton bulunmuştur. Son olarak, söz konusu nostaljik tonun ve atıflarının kentsel mekândaki güncel gündelik yaşam için anlamı tartışılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Gecekondu, Bellek, Nostalji, Ankara, Şentepe v To my lovely family, Hülya and Halil İbrahim Arık vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I want to thank to professor Besim Can Zırh. I also want to thank dear Mustafa Şen for his precious comments and guidance. And of course, to dearest Göze Orhon for her encouragement, trust and insightful remarks. I also want to thank dearest Smita Tewari Jassal for her kindness, excellent visions and more importantly, her support and faith in me which I feel even from miles away. To lovely, democrat and intellectual friends from Yenimahalle, who are always on the side of the structurally disadvantaged, dissidents, rightful. Special thanks to friends from Yenimahalle Friends Association (YEN-DER): Ahmet Işık, Aziz Türk, Ahmet Ülger, Taner Başacar, Mesut-Serpil-Sergen Durak and of course, dear Ülkü Ekren. I feel lucky for being a part of this humble and valuable family. Also to children residing in Şentepe from whom I learnt a lot. This research would not even exist if I did not meet with them. Also to Ayfer and Mustafa Kantaş. I am happy to conduct this research since through this, I had a chance to meet with these two special people. I am grateful for the sincere talks and hospitality. Also to my "oldie but goldie" friend Buğra Kibaroğlu who always listened and reasonably answered my botherings not only during this research but since adolescence. To dearest Gülşah Eren, Esen Özarar, Özge Özateş, Senem Ertürk, Başak Eroğlu, Kerime Kartaloğlu and valuable friends from Flamenco Ankara Association for their support in the most anxious moments while conducting the research and writing this text. Without them, music and art we created together, flamenco, dance and its curing effect; I would never finish this. And last but not least, to Enis Öztürk, just for his presence next to me. Juntos a duende! vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM…………………………………………………………………….iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ………………………………………………………………………………….v DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………….vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. xi TABLE OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Research Question ......................................................................................... 2 1.2. Literature Review .......................................................................................... 4 1.3. Organization Rationale of the Chapters ....................................................... 12 2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 14 2.1.The Research ................................................................................................ 14 2.1.1. Phases of the Research .......................................................................... 14 2.1.2. Demographic Data of the Interviewees ................................................. 16 2.2. Relationalities in the Research ..................................................................... 19 2.2.1. “The Field” ............................................................................................ 19 2.2.2. Position of Me as the Researcher .......................................................... 22 3. GECEKONDU, MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA .............................................. 26 3.1. Gecekondu, Urban Transformation and Urban Space ................................. 26 3.1.1. Gecekondu Studies in Turkey from 1950s to 2000s ............................. 28 3.1.2. Gecekondus in Ankara: Socio-political Factors Affecting Squatting in Ankara from 1923 to 1960s ........................................................................ 35 3.1.2.1. Ankara in 1923-1950…………….……………………………….36 viii 3.1.2.2. Ankara in 1950-1960……………………………….…………….41 3.1.3. Urban Transformation and Changing Context of Gecekondu .............. 45 3.1.4. Urban Space and Place ......................................................................... 46 3.2. Memory ....................................................................................................... 48 3.2.1. Memory Studies .................................................................................... 49 3.2.2. Memory-Place Relationship ................................................................. 59 3.3. Nostalgia ...................................................................................................... 63 3.3.1. A Brief Discussion on History and Early Uses of the Concept ............ 63 3.3.2. Social Change and the Theory of Nostalgia ......................................... 64 3.3.3. Nostalgia and Utopia ............................................................................ 71 4. ŞENTEPE IN MEMORIES ............................................................................... 76 4.1. Yenimahalle, Şentepe and the Border in between ......................................