Mediating Protest: Gezi Resistance and the Evolving Ecology of Video Activism in Turkey

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

This article traces the development of video activism in Turkey over the past two decades, focusing on its transformation during and after the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Situating video activism as a form of radical media, it examines how activists have used digital recording technologies to document protests, amplify marginalized voices, and contest dominant narratives. Drawing on interviews with members of eight activist collectives, the article maps the evolving practices, ethics, and internal dynamics of video activism, paying close attention to tensions between visibility and security and between participation and professionalism. The Gezi protests marked a turning point, expanding video activism into a decentralized, diverse, and participatory field. In the aftermath, while collective structures weakened due to increasing repression and shrinking protest spaces, the use of video as a tool for testimony, expression, and archiving has continued to evolve. New actors, forms, and platforms have emerged, transforming video activism from a specialized practice into a broader, more diffuse form of engagement. This article argues that video activism remains a significant mode of mediated resistance, reflecting the challenges and the evolving potential of visual intervention in an ever-changing political landscape.