Dynamics of Collective Action in Turkish Prisons: Comparative Analysis of Mamak and Diyarbakir Prisons 1980-1985

• In Event: 474 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 20. Social Movements in Turkey

Abstract

Historically, one of the most significant eras in which incarceration was used as a tool to manage political opponents of the regime in Turkey was 1980s, specifically during and after the 1980 Military coup. This study investigates the high-risk environments of the two notorious military prisons: Mamak and Diyarbakir Prisons between 1980 and 1985. It contributes to the discussions of different mobilization processes under high-risk contexts in undemocratic environments and addresses the understudied aspect of Turkish prisons during military coup of 1980.
Mamak Prison, where Turkish revolutionaries were incarcerated and Diyarbakir Prison, where Kurdish revolutionaries were incarcerated, were infamous with the torture and level of repression implemented by the military junta. The aim of military junta was to dissolve revolutionary organizations. Military prisons were one of the state institutions that were used to realize this aim.
I use in-depth interviews and the contemporary writings of the former political prisoners in this research. While comparing the dynamics of collective action of the political prisoners in two prisons, I also consider how different prisons/ prison contexts affect the success a regime has in demobilizing dissident groups. Development of interpersonal relations, shared identity, which were solidified during the course of prison life among the prisoners, and the risk-liability of the leaders appear as contingently interconnected themes in explaining how political prisoners in Diyarbakir Prison formed more frequent and sustainable collective actions than the political prisoners in Mamak Prison.

Author

• Basak Gemici-Ay, University of Pittsburgh