saturday 13:45 – 15:15

Urban Movements: What did we miss?
moderated talk

​

Both Istanbul and Berlin were places of strong urban social movements during the last years. Despite different urban development trends and political constellations, urban struggles were and continue to be characterised by grass-roots movement mobilisations. The panel will discuss the emergence and the activities of urban social movements from the viewpoint of plurality and representation. On the one hand, mass mobilisations like the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul or tenant mobilisations in Berlin involve a broad spectrum of social groups. On the other hand, increased diversity of participants and fragmented structures of mobilisation can complicate the clear strategic articulation of goals and demands for an urban social movement. This panel discusses the tension between mobilisation and organisation and the relationship between neighbours directly affected by the valorisation or restructuring of urban environments and ‘political’ activists. The panel will ask: who is speaking for the movements? Who will be part of organised and institutionalised structures of mobilisation? What strategies were developed and used by the current movements to improve the representation of diverse and marginalised groups? Following a short introduction to urban social movement mobilisations and protests in Istanbul and Berlin during the last years by Ayşe Çavdar and Andrej Holm, Kathrin Wildner will moderate a discussion focusing on the potentiality and failure of protest mobilisations under the conditions of urban complexities.

​

Ayşe Çavdar, Andrej Holm

Kathrin Wildner (MODerator)
// aquarium (südblock)

​