The formation of a “model city in the Anatolian steppes”: Leapfrogging effects of spatial fix in Eskişehir, Turkey

IF 0.6 Q3 ANTHROPOLOGY
City & Society Pub Date : 2024-07-13 DOI:10.1111/ciso.12493
Cansu Civelek
{"title":"The formation of a “model city in the Anatolian steppes”: Leapfrogging effects of spatial fix in Eskişehir, Turkey","authors":"Cansu Civelek","doi":"10.1111/ciso.12493","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The prevalence of neoliberalism has produced varied effects on cities ranging from rapid growth to gradual disempowerment. Instead of considering neoliberal urbanization as a fixed, predetermined process, I discuss the possibility of leapfrogging in urban repositioning. Particularly, I examine Eskişehir's repositioning process in response to disempowerment, placing particular emphasis on the “spatial fix.” Rather than being passive recipients of neoliberalization, local ruling elites might develop political agency to not only counter but also capitalize on disempowerment. To overcome financial and political constraints vital for the spatial fix, Eskişehir's mayor leveraged multiscalar networking strategies and symbolic revitalizations at particular historical conjunctures. Accordingly, Eskişehir's municipality, ruled by the center-left opposition party, sought to redefine the city as a stronghold of secularism with the claims of Europeanization and modernization. They introduced the “Eskişehir model” as a contrasting narrative to the ruling AKP's urban vision rooted in Islamist-nationalist agenda. These mechanisms reveal that ideological-political clashes at the national level can serve as windows of opportunity for local ruling elites to counter disempowerment. As the ethnographic research shows, these mechanisms had leapfrogging effects not only on repositioning and fostering political power but also dissembling existing inequalities, disparities, and segregation beneath the celebrated Eskişehir model.</p>","PeriodicalId":46417,"journal":{"name":"City & Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ciso.12493","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"City & Society","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ciso.12493","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

The prevalence of neoliberalism has produced varied effects on cities ranging from rapid growth to gradual disempowerment. Instead of considering neoliberal urbanization as a fixed, predetermined process, I discuss the possibility of leapfrogging in urban repositioning. Particularly, I examine Eskişehir's repositioning process in response to disempowerment, placing particular emphasis on the “spatial fix.” Rather than being passive recipients of neoliberalization, local ruling elites might develop political agency to not only counter but also capitalize on disempowerment. To overcome financial and political constraints vital for the spatial fix, Eskişehir's mayor leveraged multiscalar networking strategies and symbolic revitalizations at particular historical conjunctures. Accordingly, Eskişehir's municipality, ruled by the center-left opposition party, sought to redefine the city as a stronghold of secularism with the claims of Europeanization and modernization. They introduced the “Eskişehir model” as a contrasting narrative to the ruling AKP's urban vision rooted in Islamist-nationalist agenda. These mechanisms reveal that ideological-political clashes at the national level can serve as windows of opportunity for local ruling elites to counter disempowerment. As the ethnographic research shows, these mechanisms had leapfrogging effects not only on repositioning and fostering political power but also dissembling existing inequalities, disparities, and segregation beneath the celebrated Eskişehir model.

Abstract Image

安纳托利亚草原模范城市 "的形成:土耳其埃斯基谢希尔空间固定的跳跃效应
新自由主义的盛行对城市产生了不同的影响,从快速发展到逐渐丧失权力。我不认为新自由主义城市化是一个固定的、预先确定的过程,而是讨论了城市重新定位过程中跳跃式发展的可能性。特别是,我研究了埃斯基谢希尔为应对失权而重新定位的过程,尤其强调了 "空间固定"。当地的统治精英不是新自由主义化的被动接受者,他们可能会发展出政治能动性,不仅能对抗失权,还能利用失权。为了克服对空间修复至关重要的财政和政治限制,埃斯基谢希尔市市长在特定的历史时刻,利用多领域网络战略和象征性振兴。因此,由中左翼反对党执政的埃斯基谢希尔市政府试图以欧洲化和现代化为诉求,将该市重新定义为世俗主义的大本营。他们提出了 "埃斯基谢希尔模式",与执政的 AKP 根植于伊斯兰民族主义议程的城市愿景形成鲜明对比。这些机制揭示了国家层面的意识形态政治冲突可以成为地方统治精英反击失权的机会之窗。正如人种学研究显示的那样,这些机制不仅对政治权力的重新定位和发展产生了飞跃性的影响,而且还瓦解了著名的埃斯基谢希尔模式下现存的不平等、差距和隔离现象。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
City & Society
City & Society ANTHROPOLOGY-
CiteScore
2.30
自引率
0.00%
发文量
22
期刊介绍: City & Society, the journal of the Society for Urban, National and Transnational/Global Anthropology, is intended to foster debate and conceptual development in urban, national, and transnational anthropology, particularly in their interrelationships. It seeks to promote communication with related disciplines of interest to members of SUNTA and to develop theory from a comparative perspective.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信