Capital formation and the transformation of the working class in Dersim in the era of neoliberalism

Dersim, has been the subject of academic studies with regard to its ethnic identity, history, culture and religion. Since the foundation of the republic, the studies dealing with the economic developments, the status of productive classes, conditions of labour and production, labor experiences and productivity have been very few in Dersim. Until the mid-1990s, the region had experienced major economic disintegration with the forced village evacuations. After this period, Dersim's population suffered a radical decline. A significant part of it which settled in the city center turned into unskilled workers. The urban classes in the classic sense have not developed much. Investments have been mainly made on the initiatives of Dersim migrants after the 2000s. On the other hand, the development of capital in Dersim has been stimulated by AKP's neoliberal economic policy developed in parallel with its political orientation. The thesis deals with formation of capital and transformation of the working class in Dersim. The topic will be discussed on the basis of three types of the capital. The first example of them is a water company, the first investment of the domestic capital. The second is a textile factory that initiated by the support of the central government. The last piece is the agricultural development cooperative founded via the association of local small manufacturers. To understand the working regime of these three types of capital we have analyzed the results of our survey in which workers, manufacturers and investors participated. Keywords: Dersim, Capital, Neoliberalism, Working-class, Working regime, Factory, Cooperative