Privatising Dark Past
Abstract
Yassıada, an island near Istanbul with a long history as a place of exile and political trials, has recently been transformed into a hotel and conference centre. This chapter critiques the neoliberal redevelopment of the site, once associated with the 1960 execution of Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. Through aggressive construction and privatisation, the island’s traumatic memory has been obscured. The chapter argues that tourism has been instrumentalised to erase rather than confront the past, undermining collective memory and reconciliation.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Memory
Trauma
and Commemoration
violence
and history
History
Identity
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Amsterdam University Press eBooks
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter