The International from the perspectives of Gezi Protestors

Abstract

Gezi Protests that started in Istanbul and spilled over to other cities in the Spring of 2013 has been regarded as an important episode of Turkish politics in the 21st century. Although it happened in congruous with protests movements in different localities in the world as well as significant transformations in Turkey's foreign policy, the question of the influence of the international in these protests has been largely unexplored. This paper presents the empirical findings of a fieldwork on Gezi Protests, asking the following questions: What was the perception of the actors on the neighbouring as well as geographically distant uprisings that were congruous in time? How do they perceive the roles of domestic and international politics in shaping the agenda of their movements?