INSCRIBING A NEW SPACE Written Expressions of Utopia and Resistance during the Gezi Park Protests in Istanbul

In this paper I consider examples of urban public inscriptions which appeared during the Gezi Park protests of Istanbul in 2013. I consider them both as a form of expression permi( ing the creation and circulation of utopian messages of resistance, and as relating to the inclusion of a multiplicity of identities in the protest arena, such as Kurdish, Armenian and LGBT identities. I insist on the role the wri( en word plays in forging a speci" c and non-exclusivist imaginary of the protest, positioned within complex power dynamics and national narratives. I view the physical presence of speci" c graphic expressions referencing "marginal identities" as part of a set of revolutionary actions, which demonstrate the importance of wri( en-in spaces and surfaces in processes of "symbolic reterritorialization". ! is theme emerges as one of the central questions in interpretations of events relating to the Gezi resistance.