Buket Türkmen

Since 2010, we are living in a period in which new forms of activism are emerging, suggesting a decentralized and horizontal type of social organization. To these new social movements responded in recent years the “counter-movements” that now promote verticality, a hierarchical society, devotion to the leader and holistic citizenship. Inviting part of the population to the streets and banning demonstrations of the others go hand in hand with this new type of political authoritarianism: it tries to provide an appearance of respect for Democracy.

The case of Turkey’s “democracy watches”, which took place after the coup attempt in July 2016 was one of these counter-movements, which has been developed as response to the symbols and repertoires of its constitutive other, here Gezi resistance (an unprising occurred in Istanbul and in other cities of Turkey in 2013). These democracy watches expressed a strong desire for the national homogeneity, in opposition with the horizontal and pluralistic society suggested by Gezi in 2013.

During the summer of 2016, I made participant observations with a colleague in four squares of Istanbul where took place democracy watches, and made publications through these observations. Today after one year of consolidation of the new regime, I will return to the field and conduct in-depth interviews with the actors of these democracy watches and with those who refused to participate. Through these interviews, I aim to understand the relationship between the Street and the new authoritarian regime, through the impacts of the regime on their political subjectivity and their personal life.