Aykac, P;
(2017)
Musealisation as an urban process: The transformation of the Sultanahmet district in Istanbul’s historic peninsula.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
Abstract
Widespread structural changes in the post-war global economy caused urban decline in many historical centres, triggering debates about their regeneration from the 1960s onwards. As a result of these international market influences – especially through cultural tourism – historic urban areas were subjected to numerous transformations that ranged from the systematic reuse of old buildings as museums through to new urban projects to promote culturally based activities. Consequently, the very notion of a museum also expanded from the boundaries of an individual building to include wider topographical areas. Today, with almost every aspect of culture now being exhibited in museums, and with many abandoned urban buildings having been converted into museums, the old historic centres in many cities have themselves become open-air museums comprising even the inhabitants themselves. While any museum can be regarded as a multi-faceted entity, even if just a single building, once the concept is expanded to incorporate the rest of the city -- by what is known as the ‘musealisation’ process – then the situation becomes far more complicated, given that cities are living mechanisms created by such complex sets of relationships. This doctoral thesis aims to conceptualise and build a discourse about musealisation in order to provide a perspective on its strategies and its impacts on urban context. The Sultanahmet district in Istanbul’s historic peninsula has been the major focus of planning, conservation and museological studies in Turkey from the nineteenth century until the present day, and hence is used as the object of study here. Recent discussions about Sultanahmet as a museum area have also raised concerns about Istanbul’s built heritage and its historical, social and cultural associations. By drawing upon the notion of musealisation as a two-fold process that includes both the signification and eradication depending on the national politics, cultural practices and epistemologies in different periods, this thesis analyses the historical background and current effects of musealisation in the Sultanahmet neighbourhood as a means to open up alternative visions for its future.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Musealisation as an urban process: The transformation of the Sultanahmet district in Istanbul’s historic peninsula |
| Event: | University College London |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Musealisation, Culture-led urban regeneration, urban conservation, Istanbul's historic peninsula, Sultanahmet district |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett School of Architecture |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1557288 |
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