Istanbul, Global Metropolis

This course will introduce Istanbul as a global metropolis, by examining a wide range of issues and challenges facing the city and its people. Each week, we will focus on a single aspect such as: a brief historical outline of the city; the Istanbulites of the past and today; the power distribution between elites and underdogs; the struggles of the city’s minorities and refugees; the effects of urbanization and rapid economic development; the uniqueness and interconnection of Istanbul’s neighborhoods; cultures and their politicization; social movements and city squares as symbols of social resistance; architecture of the everyday and the city’s architectural masterpieces; the representation of Istanbul in cinema and Turkish TV Series; and imagining Istanbul in modern Turkish literature.