Bauhaus Universität Weimar/Europäische Urbanistik Deutsches
Orient-Institut, Hamburg
Call for Papers
PUBLIC ISTANBUL The City and it´s Public Spaces/Public Spheres?
(20. – 21. January 2007, Weimar)
In the discussion about the ideal „European City” besides the historic development from middle ages to modernity, the built form and the specific social, political and economic institutions, public space is mentioned as one of the main attributes.
The controversies are about the emergence and experience of a “civic public”, the relevant sites of this public as well as around a possible loss of public spaces. Under parameters of the polarisation between the public and the private, the ideal public space is defined as something collaborative, it is communal and publicly available. The dynamics of public spaces though are determined by mechanism of exclusion, appropriation and accessibility. It is a space of difference, visibility and representation. Public space temporarily undergoes different utilizations,
it is not characterized by stability and continuity, but is instead ephemeral and situational. It is thus a space which is materially and discursively disputed. Continuous encounter and negotiation of interests, values and attributions of meaning are what distinguishes public spaces.
Public space is an arena of social, cultural and political transformation processes, which become manifest at concrete urban places. These places can be for example streets, markets, shopping malls, gathering places or media.
In this sense we define public space in it´s complexity as a morphologic structure, as a cultural and social space and as a political sphere.
Research field Istanbul
Since ancient times Istanbul is one of the most important cities on the European continent, a centre of civilization, which combines attributes of the “European” and the “Ottoman” City. In the 20th century the metropolis is marked by a coexistence of globalization and localization, of modernity and tradition.
As a result of intense internal migration the city increased to 13 million inhabitants on 5500 qm on both sides of the Bosporus. In spite of master plans to control the city development, the growths is spontaneous and informal. As an industrial and service city in global competition at the same time there is modernization, globalization and informalization. The simultaneous coexistence of extreme disparity affect as well the access to global activities as well as the change of the physical space, which is therefore a source for cultural conflicts about the definition of locality and identity. These developments become manifest
in the public space for example in the restoration of the historic city
centre or in current projects to restructure former port areas and waterfronts.
Different to western European cities, in which with Enlightenment a civic public assigned specific spaces, in Ottoman and Turkish cities there was a complex sequence of neighbourly, religious and economic spaces, which addressed different public spheres. In context with the city development and modernization in Istanbul there is a vivid discussion about the role and the meaning of public spaces, as social and political space or under aspects of accessibility and shape of concrete places.
Questions of the conference
- Is it possible to transfer terms and concepts of the ideal “European City” on a metropolis as Istanbul?
- How is it possible to acquire “the public” as a theoretical and analytical category to the investigation of urban Istanbul?
- What are the specific spaces of the public in Istanbul? Which conformations have public spaces?
- How does the public sphere as a space of political and cultural transformation processes become manifest?
The conference „Public Istanbul“
Aim of the conference is to discuss theoretical approaches and research experiences of the subject „Public Istanbul“ from the perspective of different disciplines. We will invite scientists of urban and cultural studies as sociology, geography, ethnology, political science, history, architecture and arts to encourage the dialog and exchange between the disciplines and the countries.
The conference will be an interdisciplinary forum where different perspectives on the current development of Istanbul and its public spaces are gathered and new research questions will be mapped out. Selected contributions will be published as a book after the conference.
Formalities
It is planed to collect the papers of the participants of the conference by forehand and distribute them in form of a reader to all participants, so that on the two days of the conference after a short statement the main thesis can be discussed.
Prospective participants of the conference are invited to send an abstract of their paper (max 300 words) in English. Abstracts should be submitted before 1.6.2006.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Frank Eckhardt
Dr. Kathrin Wildner
Bauhaus Universität Weimar
Bauhaus-Str. 7b
99421 Weimar
Tel. 03643-582646
publicistanbul@archit.uni-weimar.de
[sursa e-nass]
