Spatial Representations of Ideology and Politics In Urban Scene: Keçiören Example

Abstract

Being the capital city of a newly established Turkish Republic that was descended from the Ottoman Empire, Ankara was attributed a massive symbolic meaning. Ankara became the representative of a new Turkish State that aimed to attain a place in the global picture as being a modern and secular nation state. It carries a distinct characteristic as the reflections of transformations taking place in the political sphere can be read from the urban space. In this context, Keçiören District, being one of the largest and most populated districts of Ankara has undergone a massive transformation after 1994 with the change in the political structure. The aim of this study is to make an analysis of the transformation that has been taking place in Keçiören district of Ankara since 1994, focusing on the architecture of AKP government that has been taking place not only in the architectural or urban field but also in the political, social, economic and cultural fields. What has been tried to be analyzed in this study is the emergence of a new architectural style that imitates the past with a modern approach not only in terms of urban and architectural quality but also from social and political motives that are embedded in the “culture” by using Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological notions as elements of interpretation.

Keywords

• Keçiören
• Urban transformation
• Political transformation
• Historicism
• Eclecticism
• Pierre Bourdieu