Taksim Square
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Turkey five years after the attempted coup"Witch hunt" focuses on Turkish artists and intellectuals
Artists and intellectuals in Turkey are coming under massive pressure. Since the attempted coup against Erdogan by parts of the military in 2016, the government has intensified its crackdown on critical voices. Now the coronavirus pandemic is proving the final nail in the coffin. Ceyda Nurtsch reports
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Turkey's handle on soft powerHit TV series from Turkey conquer the Arab world
Televised Turkish dramas are all the rage in the Middle East. A young Ottoman TV Empire has been expanding its soft power by harnessing regional dialects, Arabic names and viewers' desire for racy-yet-traditional plots. By Jennifer Holleis
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Repression in TurkeyArt in exile: a prison cell as exhibition venue
What form does artistic freedom take in prison? The exhibition "Museum of Small Things" by exiled Turkish journalist Can Dundar explores the topic. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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The Arter, art and gentrificationModern art makeover in Istanbul?
A new modern art museum recently opened its doors at the heart of Istanbul's working-class Dolapdere neighbourhood. An opportunity for this culturally diverse quarter or a threat in an area recognised as a social flashpoint? Ulrich von Schwerin reports on the relationship between art, commerce and gentrification on the Bosphorus
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Restoring Istanbulʹs Ataturk Cultural CenterMore than merely prestige?
Once the symbol of modern Turkey, now it stands in ruins. The Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) has been abandoned for a decade since its closure in 2008. Amid furious debate about its future, many are unhappy with current plans for the site. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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Erdogan′s TurkeySpinning out of control
Turkey has witnessed another dramatic week, with police raids on an opposition newspaper, mass suspensions of academics and civil servants and the jailing of the leaders of the country′s main pro Kurdish HDP party. The government insists it is fighting to defend democracy against unprecedented threats, critics claim democracy itself is now at risk. Dorian Jones looks at the latest events
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Exhibition: Political Art and Resistance in TurkeyThe art of remembering
Protest art from Turkey, covering the period from the 1970s to the present day, is currently on show at the Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst or nGbK (New Society for Visual Arts) in Berlin. But this exhibition is a little bit different in that it does not concern itself only with political resistance in Istanbul, but also with social protest in eastern Turkey. Ceyda Nurtsch took a look at the art on display and talked to the artists and the organisers
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Istanbul's Kazova textile co-operativeFighting on alone
Kazova, a textile firm that began production in 1947 but went out of business in January 2013, is about to re-open as a workers' co-operative. The 11 men and women who want to relaunch Kazova following the conclusion of the legal proceedings relating to the closure of the factory have a motto: "production without a boss". They were inspired by the spirit of Gezi. By Ekrem Guzeldere
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Book review: "Taksim is everywhere""This was a social uprising, not simply some demonstration"
Deniz Yuecel, a journalist for the German daily newspaper "taz", interviewed 96 different protesters for his first book, "Taksim ist Ueberall" (Taksim is Everywhere), which was recently published in Germany instead of in Turkey. In view of the fact that the writer Erol Oezkoray was taken to court for allegedly insulting Prime Minister Erdogan in his book on the Gezi phenomenon, this is perhaps a good thing. Luise Sammann introduces the book and its author
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A literary anthology of the Gezi protestsGezi lives!
In "Gezi – A Literary Anthology", a volume of essays that was recently published in German, 19 Turkish authors and a photographer reflect on the motivation and dynamics of the Gezi movement. By Astrid Kaminski
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Tahrir and Taksim – Part IA new culture of protest
In 2011 and 2013, two major cities in the Islamic world were rocked by popular unrest. The extended demonstrations seemed to usher in a new culture of protest. In this two-part report, Amin Farzanefar looks at how the art and music scenes changed in Cairo and Istanbul as a result of these protests
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Turkey a year after the Gezi protestsThe dream is over
The lack of mass protests against Erdogan's policies on the first anniversary of last summer's demonstrations in Taksim Square and Gezi Park highlights the lack of unity within the Gezi movement and the continuing crackdown on civil society activists and organisations in Turkey. By Luise Sammann in Istanbul