Queering trialectics among space, power, and the subject: spatial representations and practices of othered identities in Turkey

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes spatial configurations of biopower in Turkey, in other words, of the politics of ‘supra-identity’. In the multi-identity social structure of the country, the subjectification process of citizens has been controlled with several exclusionary policies through the definition of ‘supra-identity’ – incorporating Turkish and Muslim identities and embodying heteronormativity – by the state as the institutional equivalent of the concept of power. In this process, space plays an essential role as a domain of closure, surveillance, prohibition, and punishment for the discipline of the body. This article deals with alternative spatial representations and practices in Turkey through a case study of LGBT-friendly spaces in the capital of the country. As a result of spatial observations, mappings, and interviews, it is noticed that these spaces, as encounter and solidarity domains for individuals with diverse ethnicities, beliefs, and genders, hold the capacity for queering bio-politics in Turkey.

KEYWORDS:

• The state
• power relations
• supra-identity
• social space
• LGBT-friendly spaces

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the interviewees for their contribution to this case study. I would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Güven Arif Sargın for his academic support and intellectual contribution to this research. Besides, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Attila Aytekin and Assoc. Dr. Bülent Batuman for their encouragement for the production of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.