Memory of the Street

"Being on the streets", "going down to the streets", "taking back the streets": these expressions left their mark on political social movements around the world in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. In the 1970s, social movements were, on the one hand, separated in space (cities, liberated areas, neighbourhoods, streets, universities, schools, coffeehouses, etc.), on the other hand, "being on the streets" stood out among their diversity of action.

The September 12, 1980 Coup primarily aimed to evacuate, clean and transform the "street" and to completely dominate the "street". Curfews, bans on street demonstrations, changing street names, etc. following the coup. It severed citizens' ties with urban physical space not only on the political level but also in the context of daily life practices.

Today, "being on the street", "going down to the street", "taking back the street" are no longer relics of the past. We are faced with the process of refreshing the memory and remembering what was forgotten: The struggle to celebrate May 1 in Taksim Square; Monopoly Resistance, urban transformation and anti-HEPP struggles; Resistance to protect urban spaces such as Emek Cinema and Taksim Gezi Park; Current historical developments in nearby geographies such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya; "Occupy" movements in America and Europe etc. It shows that the political importance of the street has been reclaimed by opposition movements today.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 406

Year of Printing: 2014


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Footnote

Number of Pages: 406

First Print Year: 2014

Language Turkish