2025/10/08 by Nalan Turna, Burçak Ersöz · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Byzantine Studies and History #Islamic Studies and History #Turkey's Politics and Society
paper · doi:10.1080/00263206.2025.2564686
openalex publication_date 2025/10/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This article examines Kantarcılar’s transformation in late Ottoman Istanbul as a microcosm of urban change. It argues that micro-urban modernity emerged not only through state reforms but also through the interactions of everyday practices, informal networks, and shared spaces. The article traces Kantarcılar’s shift from a manufacturing district to a commercially diversified, mixed-use area. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s production of space framework, it shows how the perceived (spatial practice), conceived (representations of space), and lived (representational spaces) intersect in shaping Kantarcılar’s dynamics. Using Ottoman archival records, maps, trade yearbooks and newspapers, the article demonstrates the mutual constitution of formal modernization and informal practices in producing Istanbul’s urban fabric at the grassroots, with Kantarcılar as a focal case. It also positions Kantarcılar as a comparative case for analyzing urban modernity across other late Ottoman and post-Ottoman cities, thereby enriching debates on space, society and modernity.