Transformation of local identity and place in the processes of cultural interaction: A spatial and socio-cultural study on Bayrampaşa-Yıldırım Neighborhood

Globalization and cultural interaction processes profoundly reshape identity formations and spatial configurations at the local level, giving rise to new forms of engagement across social, cultural, and physical domains. This study analyzes the multilayered effects of cultural interactions on local identity structures and spatial practices through the case of Yıldırım Neighborhood in Istanbul's Bayrampaşa district. As a site shaped by migration-induced cultural interaction and spatial transformation, the neighborhood offers a unique context where dynamics of encounter, tension, and hybridization between the global and the local can be concretely observed. Focusing on the cultural dimension of globalization, the research emphasizes its multilayered nature that not only homogenizes but also reconstructs and makes the local visible. Designed through a deductive approach, the study is grounded in an interdisciplinary conceptual framework centered on globalization, migration, cultural interaction, local identity, and hybridization. Fieldwork was conducted using qualitative methods, and the findings were interpreted through an interpretive lens. During the field study, the spatial practices, cultural belonging, and intergenerational identity transmission of migrant communities were examined in depth. The main aim is to reveal how global influences and cultural interaction processes reshape local identity and spatial perception at the neighborhood scale. The findings demonstrate that migrant communities in Yıldırım adapt their traditional cultural codes to new social and spatial contexts, producing hybrid identities. This process leads to cultural and physical transformation, generating a unique yet dynamic local identity. The study offers an original contribution to understanding how cultural globalization and migration affect local structures and shows that hybridization actively reshapes collective memory, belonging, and spatial ownership.