Istanbul, Metropolis of Fear

Spaces are not merely created with stone, concrete, and iron. Psychosocial states, especially fears, are also space-makers. Metropolises in general, and Istanbul in particular, are environments of fear, and in this sense, fear is a social rather than personal anxiety. Therefore, it is necessary to speak of the sociality of space and, necessarily, its politics. One is afraid in space, and afraid of space. One gets bored in space, and bored of space. These states are also expressed in space. Imaginary and real authorities are established to make space less frightening. Consequently, a security system so tight it cannot be eroded is desired, and an effort is made to build a regime of discipline.
 
Istanbulites, at least since the 18th century, seem to have missed no opportunity to be afraid. There is fear of changes in women's social identity, of protesting authorities, of men and women freely roaming recreation areas, of place and street names in the city, of the uglification of the urban environment, of the arrival of new immigrants, of every marginalized old and new power center, such as Byzantium, the West, and even nature and the writing of history. Behind all of this lies a social "fear of porosity." There is apprehension about individuals changing their urban positions and statuses, about people not being fixed to their assigned places and social groups but rather becoming liberated, about subjects venturing into waters and expanses they have not previously experienced. One is paralyzed by fears; many inhibitions, which will sound very familiar to you as you read, arise in this way. This book discusses how an "empire of fears" has been built in a psychosocial environment that, for two centuries, has continued to define metropolitan space by transforming itself in various guises.