Remaking the edge of Europe from Buenos Aires to Istanbul: Urban landscapes, spectral identities, and the politics of location

Where is the limit of Europe? Is it cartographic, cultural, economic, or something else? This paper traces “Europeanness” as an itinerant, malleable idea that is the object of extensive political squabbling in a wide variety of cities where there are efforts to invoke some kind of “European” identity in urban landscape interventions. These can range from commemorations and festivals, to neighborhood redevelopment, to infrastructural preparation for megaevents, to monuments. Yet whatever the medium of expression, the idea of “Europeanness” is always highly localized in its content and purpose – as well as its alternatives. Taking the disparate cases of Buenos Aires and Istanbul as its focus, the paper observes how definitions of Europe can travel and be implemented, conflictively, in quite distinct cities. Special attention goes to the European Capital of Culture events in Istanbul and the Argentine Centennial in Buenos Aires, both celebrated in 2010.

Bringing cultural sociology into urban sociology, this presentation addresses “Europeanness” as a travelling concept across urban realms. The focus is on how sites as different as Buenos Aires and Istanbul can be brought into fruitful comparison by studying their particular dynamics of contention in the urban landscape. Especially useful are the literature on cultural landscapes, urban geopolitics, and contested identities in pubic space. From the cases in Argentina and Turkey, I draw out implications relevant to other cities, including Beirut, Rio de Janeiro, and Sarajevo.