Liberation Mechanisms and Long-Term Political Participation: Insights from the Gezi Park Protests

The 2013 Gezi Park protests in Turkey marked a turning point for political participation, triggering cognitive, emotional, and relational transformations among diverse groups of activists. This study examines how participants—including first-time activists, those who shifted from other political causes, and long-term activists—experienced these liberation mechanisms and how they shaped their ongoing political engagement. Drawing on life-history interviews conducted nearly a decade after the protests, the research explores how emotional resilience, cognitive shifts, and solidarity networks sustained activism in a politically repressive environment.

First-time activists experienced emotional liberation, overcoming fear through collective resistance, while participants with prior political involvement expanded their activism to include new concerns like environmentalism. Long-term activists built enduring relational networks, deepening solidarity across diverse movements and adapting their strategies to new challenges.

This research contributes to broader discussions on eventful protests and their long-term impacts on individual political participation trajectories. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how emotional, cognitive, and relational dynamics evolve over time and highlights the complexities of sustaining political engagement under authoritarian regimes. Gezi offers valuable insights into how critical protest events can transform activism, even as they encounter substantial limitations in achieving radical transformation.