Sibel Akyildiz


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Akyildiz

First Name

Sibel

ORCID

0000-0003-0348-3231

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Publications 1 - 2 of 2
  • Economy vs. Ecology: Megaprojects, Environmental Politics, and the Istanbul-Izmir Highway in Türkiye
    Item type: Journal Article
    Akyildiz, Sibel (2025)
    Alternatif Politika
    Megaprojects, as in other parts of the world, have an intense and irreversible negative impact on cities, rural areas, and natural spaces in Türkiye. Yet, the importance of the right to live in a healthy environment and the preservation of natural resources is growing every day and is emerging as a societal demand. This study aims to examine how theoretical concepts are reflected in practical applications by investigating the implementation of the right to environment in interrelated fields such as the state, civil society, and environmental protection. This study, using the Istanbul-Izmir highway project as a case study, discusses the regulatory role of the State as the guarantor of the right to environment, the implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports in the execution of megaprojects, and the resistance of civil society towards the enforcement of the right to environment. By addressing Türkiye’s neoliberal dilemma—"More trees or more economic gains?"—through the lens of the Istanbul-Izmir highway project, this article seeks to broaden the discussion on the boundaries, implementation, and practical application of the right to environment.
  • Gender, Space, and Women’s Entrepreneurship: A Case Study in Kadıköy, Istanbul (2018–2023)
    Item type: Journal Article
    Akyildiz, Sibel (2025)
    Kadın /Woman 2000
    This study explores the evolving dynamics of women’s entrepreneurship in Kadıköy, Istanbul between 2018 and 2023, focusing on how structural inequalities, spatial context, and socio-economic crises shape women’s entrepreneurial trajectories. Based on two rounds of in-depth interviews with thirteen women entrepreneurs, the research highlights the persistent challenges posed by limited institutional support, gendered expectations, and economic volatility, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent inflationary period. While entrepreneurship is often framed as a pathway to empowerment, the findings show that it simultaneously reproduces precarity through unpaid care responsibilities, gendered moral norms, and spatially contingent access to opportunities. Women’s strategies of resilience such as resource-sharing and adapting business models, reflect individual ingenuity, but also reveal the lack of systemic support for gender-equitable entrepreneurship. The study emphasizes the importance of intersectional and place-based approaches to understanding how gender, class, and space interact to shape entrepreneurial agency in neoliberal and patriarchal contexts.
Publications 1 - 2 of 2