Politicization of Women Living in Squatter Settlements

Autor principal:
Evin Deniz
Programa:
Sesión 1
Día: viernes, 22 de septiembre de 2017
Hora: 09:00 a 11:00
Lugar: Seminario 0.1.

Recently, urban regeneration projects that are conducted through state-led processes have become highly operative as a means of accumulation in Turkish cities especially in squatter settlements. Moreover, the most vulnerable populations have been evicted and forced to live in the outskirts of the cities. Hardly surprisingly, therefore, struggles against evictions have flared up in many neighbourhoods. The present piece focuses on the politicization of the women in squatter settlements through their participation in these struggles. Considering the importance of the neighbourhood for the women living in squatter settlements as an expansion of their domestic space to where they are bound. This research is based on a qualitative investigation on the struggle of a squatter neighbourhood in Dikmen Valley. Dikmen Valley is a neighbourhood in central Ankara, Turkey that has been struggling since 2006 against eviction due to an urban regeneration project. The ones made the Dikmen Valley Right to Shelter Struggle possible were women since all their daily lives are inside the valley. They have been on the front line to defend their living space which is also their unique socialization space. The principal aim of this paper is to scrutinize how these women have been politicized through this existential voyage. Lefebvre’s contributions on everyday life provides a strong theoretical base to analyse qualitative fieldwork outcomes. It also draws on current discussions of two of Lefebvre’s influential notions: “the right to the city” and “encounters.” Recently, urban regeneration projects that are conducted through state-led processes have become highly operative as a means of accumulation in Turkish cities especially in squatter settlements. Moreover, the most vulnerable populations have been evicted and forced to live in the outskirts of the cities. Hardly surprisingly, therefore, struggles against evictions have flared up in many neighbourhoods. The present piece focuses on the politicization of the women in squatter settlements through their participation in these struggles. Considering the importance of the neighbourhood for the women living in squatter settlements as an expansion of their domestic space to where they are bound. This research is based on a qualitative investigation on the struggle of a squatter neighbourhood in Dikmen Valley. Dikmen Valley is a neighbourhood in central Ankara, Turkey that has been struggling since 2006 against eviction due to an urban regeneration project. The ones made the Dikmen Valley Right to Shelter Struggle possible were women since all their daily lives are inside the valley. They have been on the front line to defend their living space which is also their unique socialization space. The principal aim of this paper is to scrutinize how these women have been politicized through this existential voyage. Lefebvre’s contributions on everyday life provides a strong theoretical base to analyse qualitative fieldwork outcomes. It also draws on current discussions of two of Lefebvre’s influential notions: “the right to the city” and “encounters.” 

Palabras clave: neoliberal urbanism, urban regeneration, women, politicization, Lefebvre, everyday life, right to the city, encounters, Dikmen Valley, Ankara, Turkey