Branding the city through culture: Istanbul, European Capital of Culture 2010

Authors

  • Ayşe Banu Bıçakçı Yeditepe University

Keywords:

City branding, European Capital of Culture, Istanbul, Social Semiotics

Abstract

As cities compete on an international scale to attract visitors, investors, talented people and inhabitants city branding is gaining much more interest. The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. Istanbul (Turkey), one of the most important cities both in the Middle East and Europe, was the ECoC 2010 along with Pécs (Hungary) and Ruhr (Germany). This paper aims to go into the cultural reflections of ECoC 2010 Istanbul with a semiological approach, focusing on the extent to which the city is represented through cultural facilities and events. After looking at the historical and socio-political background of Istanbul, official ECoC Web site and programme book of the city are analyzed. Themes, logos, slogans and the content of the programme are questioned from a critical point of view, with the objective of unveiling the symbolic cultural elements in differentiating city brand. What kinds of associations are based on its urban culture and heritages? Furthermore, the study questions if these cultural elements point the public a specific city portrait drawn by an understanding of culture overlapping with the idea of the authorities holding the political power and dominating the current ideology.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Ayşe Banu Bıçakçı, Yeditepe University

A.Banu Bıçakçı is graduated from Ankara University and majored BA in Italian Language and Literature. She has pursued an MA degree in Yeditepe University in 2004 and a PhD degree in Anadolu University in 2009, in the field of Public Relations. She has been working at Yeditepe University, Public Relations and Publicity Department since 2002 and her current title is Assistant Professor. She is giving lectures on Theories of Communication, Persuasion and Perception, History, Theory and Practice of Public Relations and Corporate Communication. Her research areas are CSR, persuasion and city branding. She is a member of IAMCR, ECREA and EUPRERA. Speaks Turkish, English and Italian fluently.

Downloads

Published

2012-06-01

How to Cite

Bıçakçı, A. B. (2012). Branding the city through culture: Istanbul, European Capital of Culture 2010. Journal of Human Sciences, 9(1), 993–1006. Retrieved from https://j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/2065

Issue

Section

Applied Communication