The Politics of Memory and the Transformation of Street Names in Istanbul (2013–2023)

Beyond serving as geographic references, place names play a significant role in the processes of identity and memory construction by political authorities. Naming practices reflect efforts to claim and control space on the one hand, while on the other, they make the marks of dominant ideologies permanent in the landscape. In Turkey, interventions in place names have occurred in various contexts, ranging from nation-building processes to ideological and ethnic conflicts. Moreover, as sites of memory, place names bear traces of political and cultural struggles. The alteration or preservation of names creates a powerful political narrative about which elements of collective memory are foregrounded and which are suppressed. This research analyzes the AKP's toponymic interventions during different phases of its rule, using Istanbul as a case study and adopting a historical perspective. It explores both the symbolic renaming of places in Istanbul and the selection of new names, aiming to uncover the ideological, political, and social contexts behind these changes. The study focuses on the continuities and ruptures between the AKP's memory politics and earlier toponymic efforts initiated during the early Republican period. These earlier interventions often resulted in the Turkification or nationalization of place names, erasing cultural and historical references tied to minority communities—a trend has persisted with varying motivations. The research highlights how the AKP, during its initial years in power (2002–2011), sought to reshape collective memory under the guise of democratization and reckoning with the past. However, this period was followed by a more assertive phase of constructing an "official memory" aligned with the ruling party's ideological agenda. Over the past decade, shifts in the AKP's political trajectory, domestic political ruptures, and societal tensions have led to more systematic and interventionist memory politics through place names. Renaming the Bosphorus Bridge as the "15 July Martyrs Bridge," for instance, exemplifies the ruling party's overt attempts to manipulate collective memory. Such interventions have moved beyond representing past traumas, becoming tools for the spatial reproduction of the values and narratives of the current political regime. By addressing the spatial and historical dimensions of memory politics in Turkey, this study contributes to understanding the interplay between toponymic regimes, political authority, and identity. It reveals the societal and cultural impacts of interventions in place naming, offering insights into memory, space, and power dynamics.