The public space is not an empty neutral place, nor it is devoid of power relations. It is deeply imbued with regulation of social space, layers of memory, offering a scene for present day politics, but also an historical archive with different temporalities, inhabitants, monuments and events. Can physical space contribute to creating commonalities and linkage points between different publics? Or does the space, as a marker of identity and power politics become an obstacle for cultural sharing and society making? The claims over meaning and ownership of public space opening up a battlefield over its competing interpretations and contested memories will be discussed as part of global democratic agendas.

Argument

The public space is not an empty neutral place, nor it is devoid of power relations. It is deeply imbued with regulation of social space, layers of memory, offering a scene for present day politics, but also an historical archive with different temporalities, inhabitants, monuments and events. Can physical space contribute to creating commonalities and linkage points between different publics? Or does the space, as a marker of identity and power politics become an obstacle for cultural sharing and society making? The claims over meaning and ownership of public space opening up a battlefield over its competing interpretations and contested memories will be discussed as part of global democratic agendas.

Program

9.30 Welcoming coffee

• 10.00 Nilüfer Göle, Contested Places of Worship: Intercultural Conflicts Beyond the Frontiers

10.30-12.30 Session 1

• 10.30 Levent Yılmaz, Spectacle of Power and Places of Memory
• 11.00 Mechtild Wildrich, Memory and Monuments: An Update on Site-Specificity
• 11.30 Ali Akay, How the language become an arm for the visual art ?

12.00 Debate

12.30 Lunch

13.30- 15.30 Session 2

• 13.30 Lynda Zein, Spatio-temporal Reference Points: The Case of Syria
• 14.00 Nazlı Temir, Emergence of Plural Memories in Public: The Case of Armenians
• 14.30 Parand Danesh, Spatial Memory and Grieving Obstruction in Post-War Iran

15.00 Debate

15.30 Coffee Break

16.00-18.00 Session 3

• 16.00 Barbara Carnevali, Social Sensibility
• 16.30 Erinç Aslanboğa, Transformation of Space as an Individual and Collective Experience
• 17.00 Helin Karaman, Regulating Collective Behavior in Public Parks
• 17.30 Andreas Koller, Notes on Public Space

18.00 Debate

18.30Concluding Remarks

Project directed by

• Nilüfer göle

EHESS/Nomis

Team members

• Warda hadjab
• Zeynep uğur
• Gökçe tuncel