Citizenship in the city: Identity, community, and rights among women migrants to Istanbul

This study examines citizenship, gender, and urbanism in Istanbul, Turkey. An analysis of four focus group discussions conducted in Istanbul in 1999 focuses on the multiple ways in which migrant women of different ages and backgrounds position themselves in relation to Istanbul's urban community, their own "right to the city" and the informal and formal channels through which claims to urban space and resources are pursued. Situating this study within the historical context of political and ideological currents in Turkey and Istanbul, this paper presents an analysis of focus group texts based on three interlinked points regarding urban identity, belonging and rights. The conclusion of this analysis is that both generational differences and differences in urban identity contribute to the uneven and contingent nature of citizenship in the city as it is enacted through the everyday practices of migrant women in Istanbul.