'Sulukule is the gun and we are its bullets': Urban renewal and Romani identity in Istanbul

This paper examines how the controversial demolition of Sulukule, a Romani (Gypsy) neighborhood in Istanbul, instigated connections between transnational Romani rights and 'right to the city' actor networks, creating new possibilities for the explicit participation of the neighborhood's dislocated residents in urban politics. These connections inextricably linked the neighborhood to the politics of Romani identity and urban renewal in Istanbul. I argue that Sulukule is not only 'made' in its place; the meaning of the neighborhood and its demolition expands and changes as it travels and encounters various (often competing) agendas. Analyzing the conflict that arose over a hip-hop film that takes place in Sulukule, I show how a particular formation of Romani identity emerges from the dynamics of various actors in the neighborhood. This identity-as urban, politically engaged and a source of resistance against oppressive global forces-travels along urban rights and Romani rights activist networks and gains far-reaching salience and durability. Highlighting the global connections that are made and broken around a demolished neighborhood in Istanbul demonstrates the potential impacts of a seemingly singular event on urban politics.