This study is based on a fieldwork conducted in a Bosphorus neighbourhoodof istanbul. In 1988, just after the news that a bndge which will connect the Asianand European sides of istanbul would be constructed between Arnavutkoy andVanikoy the residents of the district started an anti-bridge campaign expressed byan initiative called Arnavutkoy Semt Girisimi (ASO). They have expressedthemselves by organizing activities through which they stressed the destructiveeffects the bridge would cause on the environment and cultural history of thedistrict. On the seventh year of the ASO, the construction of Marmaray Project (arailway tube passage which will connect the Asian and Europeans sides of istanbulunder the sea) began and in 2005 the Mayor of istanbul has announced that theplace of the bridge has been changed to the north of istanbul, between SanyerBeykoz.Starting as a local movement, in time, .the campaign supported by NOD's,press and academicians has changed to a transenvironmentel movement aiming notto have any more bridges constructed on the Bosphorus. It has emphasized theconstruction of tube passages and use of sea transport..As a civil initiative which hasn't had a leader and connections with anyparticular party, it has fostered participant democracy through the local andsupralocal relations it has established, by use of public space and strategies to createpublic opinion. The intellectuals and other residents who worked shoulder toshoulder in this initiative, with their secular and combative identities, are the newactors ofthe developing civil society in Turkey.It as been investigated that this movement has had a positive effect on thesocial life of the district; cultural and social activities have been organized, the oldtraditions have been revived, researches have conducted on the local history of the district and solidanty and environmental consciousness between the residents haveimproved.Other social movements are also seen in different social groups in the fieldsof women's rights, ethnicity and human rights. The unification of civil societypratics peculiar to the East and West have caused the Turkish society to gain apluralistic dynamism. But Turkey has a long way to go to have a healthydemocracy.

Bu cahsma istanbul Bogaz; kryrsmda yer alan Arnavutkoy semtinde yapilanbir alan arastrrmasma dayanmaktadir, 199.8 yihnda istanbul' un Asya ve Avrupayakasnu birlestiren bir koprunun Arnavutkoy..Vanikcy arasmda in~a edilecegihaberleri basmda yer aldlgnda, semt sakinleri Arnavutkoy Semt Giri~imi (ASG)olarak bilinen bir protesto hareketi dtiZenliyerek bu projeye kar~1 YIk:n'll§lardlf.Semtin dogal ve tarihi dokusunun bu olaydan zarar gorecegini dii~finerek sesleriniduzenledikleri ye~itli eylemlerle duyurmuslardir, Girisimin yedinci yIhncla Asya veAvrupa yakasmi denizin icinden gecen bir tup gecisle birbirine baglayacak olanMarmaray Projesinin temeli at1lml~ ve 2005 yilmda istanbul Belediye Baskarnkoprtl guzergahmm Bogaz'm kuzeyine kaydmldigi yolunda bir beyanat vermistir.Yerel bir gmsnn olarak baslayan ASG, zaman icinde STK'lar, basin veakedemisyenler tarafindan desteklenerek Bogaz'm hicbir yerinde kopruyapilmamasmi ve tup gecit ve deniz tasimacihgma onem verilmesini isteyen bircevre hareketine donii~mii~tiir. Otonom sivil bir insiyatif olarak gelisen bu hareketbir lideri olmamasma ve hiebir partiye bagh olmamasma ragmen kurdugu yerel veyerel ustu iliskiler, kamusal alanm kullanmu ve kamuoyu olusturmada kullandigistratejilerle kanhmci demokrasiye bir omek olusturmustur, Girisimde omuz omuzacahsan laik ve mucadeleci kimlikli insanlar, entellektuel ve halk kesiminden olup,Turkiye'de gelisen sivil toplumun yeni aktorleridir.Alan arastirmasi sonuclannda bu mucadele sirasmda semtte kulturel ve sosyalfaaliyetlerin duzenlendigi, eski geleneklerin canlandmldigi, semtin yerel tarihi ileilgili arastirmalar yapildigt ve semt halki arasmda cevre bilinci ve dayamsmanmarttig; tespit edilmistir.Bu tur hareketler toplumun diger kesimlerinde de kadm, din, Irk, insan haklangibi alanlarda devam etmektedir. Dogu ve Bati'ya ozgii pratiklerin birlesmesi Turk toplumuna cogulcu bir dinamizm kazandirmakradir, Ancak Tiirkiye'nin saghkli birdemokratik yaprya kavusmak icin kat etmesi gereken uzun bir yol vardrr.