Key words: Nicosia, social
movements, urban activism, cultural practices, politics
This article aims to
trace the development of urban activism centered in the area of inner Nicosia (focusing
on its southern part) as this was manifested in the last two decades. It examines a variety of cultural and social
practices and their political implications in terms of their interaction with
the surrounding space and wider society. The analysis focuses on specific
initiatives and small social movements contesting existing institutions,
structures and processes and engaging in semiotic struggles over the definition
and interpretation of the city and the right to it. It thus offers an account
of the development of an open community rooted in inner Nicosia formed on the
basis on social networks and cultural traits as these have been constituted
through specific politics and ideational frames.
