Rethinking accumulation by dispossession in the neoliberal process through land acquisitions: The cases of Bozbük and Kazıklı Neighborhoods

This study examines the socio-ecological impacts of land acquisition and development processes carried out in line with neoliberal policies, focusing on the neighborhoods of Bozbük and Kazıklı in Turkey. The research analyzes the interaction between local communities, state actors, the private sector, and institutions, exploring how these processes transform traditional land-use practices and shape accumulation by dispossession. The study's central question focuses on how local communities interact with neoliberal actors and institutions in their efforts to reclaim land rights and respond to these processes. The research findings reveal that land acquisition processes are often legitimized through neoliberal discourses portraying traditional land-use practices as inefficient, illegible, or ecologically destructive. The study emphasizes how local communities demonstrate resistance and adaptation in the face of these dynamics. Local actors are compelled to interact with neoliberal frameworks in their efforts to reclaim land rights, adapting their strategies to negotiate within these systems. This highlights a paradox where communities must operate within the very systems causing their dispossession in order to defend their rights. The study situates these local processes within a global context, linking them to trends in land commodification and resource enclosure driven by international economic pressures and environmental policies. The research draws on theoretical frameworks such as political ecology and critical institutionalism to reveal how land governance mechanisms are shaped by broader neoliberal narratives. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 participants to gain a deep understanding of land acquisition dynamics. These interviews focus on the experiences of local actors, their perceptions of changes in land use, and the socio-economic and environmental consequences of these changes.