Spaces of collective memory as the load-bearing pillars of social memory: Resistance sites of July 15, 2016 coup attempt

Updating once again today the effectiveness and functionality of the social memory and spaces of collective memory, which are among the most significant elements of this memory, being able to see the changing social culture, values, understandings and perception styles from this framework, and determining the functionality of the spaces of collective memory present in the social memory are of particular importance in terms of comprehending what is social today. Based on this reason, particularly the recent history of Turkey was taken into the focal point of the study, and as a case study, the "coup attempt" carried out by a group of members of the Armed Forces affiliated with a religious jamaat on the night of July 15, 2016, was deemed worthy of examination in order to observe the relationship between collective memory and space of collective memory. Since the thesis focuses on social memory and the spaces of collective memory that constitute the most significant load-bearing pillars of this memory, understanding the level of reinforcing or ignoring ramifications of the media regarding these spaces is intended. In line with this intent, the field research of the study consisted of spaces that made an impression on the collective memory regarding the night in question. While the coup attempt was considered determining for social memory, 15 July Martyrs Bridge, 15 July Martyrs Avenue and Kısıklı National Will Square, which were the symbolic places of this attempt and whose names were changed after the attempt, were accepted as spaces of collective memory for the people's resistance to the coup attempt. Images and narratives serviced by the media on and after the night of July 15, 2016 were about events happened mostly on these spaces, and they were presented as spaces of collective memory that were engraved into the social memory of the coup attempt and, in a sense, reconstructed that night. One of the two main intents of this study is to observe at what level these spaces, whose names have been changed, found their correlations in individual and social memory and to see whether there are changing social values, reconciliation and divergence points accordingly. Another main intent is to see, with measurements to be made, how these spaces, where great pains were experienced during the coup attempt on the night of 15 July, provide the opportunity to connect with the social memory after about five years. Whether the name changes were accepted by a full consensus or not, and if not, understanding this rejection, constitutes a critical threshold in the socio-political plane. It is not only important for the science of communication, but also a necessity to examine the equivalence and the meanings of the relationship between social memory and spaces of collective memory, from the level of influence of the changing communication conditions and tools, for those who experienced the coup attempt on the street or on the screen. Keywords: Memory, Collective Memory, Space, Spaces of Collective Memory, Remembering -Forgetting, Media