4th International Conference on Night Studies, Lisbon, Portekiz, 11 - 13 Ekim 2023, ss.24-25
In 2019, during the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the public space restrictions, a partial music ban was imposed in Turkey after 00:00. Although most of these bans have been lifted over time, the partial music ban has become a permanent part of Turkey's nightlife scene since 2021, even after the pandemic officially ended. This ban is used as a new neoliberal control mechanism, restricting the public space and everyday life under political pressure, regardless of the conditions associated with the pandemic. As the prohibitions caused different alternative solutions with the pressure it creates on society, a large number of informal night socializations have emerged as a mass resistance to partial music bans. In spite of the prohibition, three alternatives are tailored by those who desire a nocturnal existence in the city: house parties, a few rare venues, and certain gathering points in public spaces. This study focuses on these informal gathering points that occur culturally in public spaces. To examine the processes of cultural and socio-political popularization, an ethnographic research has been conducted on two central locations for nightlife, "Moda Pool" and "Beyoğlu Stairs", situated on opposite sides of the city. Using qualitative surveys, observations, and architectural mapping methods, this study thematically analyzes how these spatializations function as intersecting points of resistance for different subcultures in Turkey.