Genealogies of activism and the semiotics of urban space: cultural and social practices in 21st Century inner Nicosia

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.