Shifting Boundaries of Divided City Nicosia Through Social Actors

In: Space and Culture, Volume 21, Issue 4, p. 482-494

Abstract

Nicosia, the capital of the island of Cyprus, has accommodated diverse political changes, and the city itself has transformed in the process. In the recent past, as an outcome of the 1963-1964 ethnic conflicts, the city's most radical transformation has been its division into a Turkish and a Greek part. This article argues that this division has not only affected the daily lives of people living in the northern part of Nicosia but has also caused changing socioeconomic dynamics. The article explores these shifting boundaries through an analysis of the border area and maps these changing spatialities through in-depth interviews with certain social actors. Thus, this study offers a broader understanding of the Cyprus issue, as well as highlights certain intangible aspects of urban boundaries as they affect the spatial configuration of divided cities in general.