Researcher:
Bezmez, Dikmen

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Dikmen

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Bezmez

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Bezmez, Dikmen

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2010 - 201982020 - 20222

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    Disabled Istanbulites' everyday life experiences as 'urban citizens': accessibility and participation in decision-making
    (Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2018) Yardımcı, Sibel; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    This article assesses whether the everyday experiences of disabled İstanbulites can be considered from an urban citizenship perspective. To this end, Lefebvre's notion of the right to the city' and its relationship with the literature on urban citizenship and Disability Studies is discussed, and two broad categories of analysis are presented to elaborate the issue in the case of İstanbul. These are, namely accessibility - to space, but also to education, health, and employment - and participation in decision-making. Interviews show that the limited rights-based discourses, which guided the institutional transformation of the greater and district municipalities in the early 2000s, have had almost no impact on the everyday experience of disabled İstanbulites. İstanbul remains a largely disabling city with major problems of accessibility and no room in decision-making processes for disabled people. Unfortunately, current developments do not point to the possibility of a more powerful practice of urban citizenship.
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    In search of disability rights: citizenship and Turkish disability organizations
    (Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2010) Yardimci, Sibel; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    Criticizing modern citizenship's emphasis on the 'nation' as a homogeneous body of citizens, recent citizenship conceptions draw attention to diverse group identities and their differentiated rights-claims. By way of scrutinizing different disability organizations, this paper analyzes the struggles by people with disabilities in Turkey and examines whether these could be perceived as claims to new forms of citizenship. It argues that due to the institutional, political, cultural and historical specificities of Turkey, most non-governmental organizations maintain relations of patronage with state actors. Far from initiating a rights-based discourse, their activities cannot be perceived within recent citizenship frameworks. Yet, parallel to Turkey's accession process to the EU and technological developments, alternative forms of organizing started emerging at the virtual level. These are the harbingers of a relatively more rights-based discourse.
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    Social experiences of physical rehabilitation: the role of the family
    (Taylor and Francis Inc., 2015) Yardimci, Sibel; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
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    Urban citizenship, the right to the city and politics of disability in Istanbul
    (Wiley, 2013) Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    Since the late 1990s, the 'urban citizenship' literature has accentuated the burgeoning potential of the city as host to more democratic interpretations of citizenship. A more recent literature highlighted the 'local trap' in such assumptions, arguing that the local cannot exist outside of neoliberalization. This article examines some of the recent institutional transformations in Istanbul's local government and seeks to understand where these might be situated in this discussion. Three institutions dealing with disability are scrutinized with regard to their power dynamics, discourses and practices. The argument is that, although superficially such developments seem to represent some of the tendencies highlighted by the urban citizenship literature ( in terms of their scale, timing and appeal to a group previously excluded from modern citizenship), deeper analysis shows that these often promote charity- rather than rights-based approaches. This is because the push factors in the emergence of these institutions are not the urban struggles on the part of the disability community, but rather the ruling party's populism, the impact of supranational agencies and the demands of non-disabled residents at district level. Each of the three institutions examined is shaped primarily by one factor, leading to differing degrees of charity- and rights-based practices. Arguments concerning the prospects of more democratic interpretations of citizenship at local level need to consider experiences in diverse settings.
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    Rehabilitation technology and the reproduction of bodily normality: a critical analysis of robotic gait training in Turkey
    (Stockholm Univ Press, 2016) Yardımcı, Sibel; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    This paper focuses on rehabilitation technology, more specifically robotic gait training conducted with a device called 'Lokomat' and its impact on the reproduction of bodily normality within the Turkish context. It draws upon an ethnographic study carried out in a major Turkish rehabilitation hospital and the analysis of the Lokomat's media representation in a health-related television programme. Interviews were conducted with 42 persons (11 medical staff, 2 non-medical staff, and 20 current and 9 former patients). The paper argues that the use of technology is shaped by the relevant sociocultural background. This background comprises both the specificities of the Turkish context more generally - such as its especially unwelcoming environment to the disabled body - and the discourses on the Lokomat more specifically, which create a miracle image of this device as facilitating walking. Thus, the Lokomat's presence deepens the normal/abnormal divide and reproduces it as walking/non-walking.
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    Looking for a 'cure': negotiating 'walking' in a Turkish rehabilitation hospital
    (Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2016) Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    This article explores discourses surrounding 'walking' in a Turkish rehabilitation hospital and their impact on in-hospital relationships, patients' attitudes towards disability, and constructions of 'bodily normality'. Interviews were conducted with 29 patients, 11 medical personnel, and two non-medical personnel. Three categories of discourses emerged. First, hope for walking is kept alive in doctor-patient relationships, either through a state of silence on the matter or an emphasis on time, determination, and faith in God. Second, patients are virtually assured of the retrieval of walking, mostly through interactions with fellow patients and their accompanying family members (refakatcis). Third, a possible non-walking future is highlighted, either within a framework closer to a disability rights perspective or through an emphasis on gratitude. Diverse discourses on walking emerge due to the informality of in-hospital practices. Still, the 'normal body' is predominantly reproduced as the 'walking body'. Thus, patients refuse discharge before regaining the ability to walk.
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    Disabled women's care experiences in Turkey: intimacy, dependency, independent living
    (Stockholm University Press, 2022) Porter, Tom; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    The literature on care relationships and independent living is extensive, although geographically limited, and focuses predominantly on the UK. Scandinavia and the US. This paper explores these themes in the context of Turkey. Through a case study approach, it analyses the experiences of three disabled women with distinctive care arrangements (paid professional, familial informal and an eclectic mix). Cases are discussed in relation to the Turkish context and the existing literature. The paper argues that the experiences of disabled Turkish women need to be understood in relation to the Turkish political economy of care (dependent on family support and undocumented migration), cultural aspects of care (shaped by gendered imagery) and the development of disability rights (characterised by limited independent living). Recognising such universal and locally specific aspects of care and independent living across geographies will contribute to a fuller understanding of disabled people's experiences and enhance theories of care.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Family role in in-patient rehabilitation: the cases of England and Turkey
    (Taylor _ Francis, 2019) Shakespeare, Tom; Yardımcı, Sibel; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    Purpose: this article explores the differences between experiences of family role in in-patient rehabilitation in Turkey and England. Background: the literature predominantly assumes family presence in rehabilitation as positive, because it draws upon Western cases, where care is delivered fully by professionals, and patients may feel isolated during hospital stays. Analyses of other contexts provide a more nuanced view. Method: this qualitative research included in-depth interviews (Turkey: 42, England: 18) with people with disabilities (n = 39), their families (n = 8) and hospital staff (n = 13); hospital ethnography (Turkey), focus groups (England: 3 groups involving 4 doctors, 5 nurses, 6 therapists), and participant-observation (England: 5 families). Thematic analysis highlights experiences of family involvement across different contexts. Results: Families are differently integrated in rehabilitation in England and Turkey. In England, where family presence is regulated and relatively limited, people with disabilities feel more isolated and see family as a major form of support. In Turkey, where family presence is unregulated and intense, they enjoy family as an agent of intra-hospital socialising, but find it disabling when it implies a loss of privacy and individuality. Conclusion: family involvement in rehabilitation should support social interaction but allow people with disabilities to remain independent. Implications for rehabilitation Family involvement in rehabilitation can be both enabling and disabling. Existing literature draws upon rehabilitation practices, where family presence is limited and perceived as positive. An analysis of cases, where families are integral to the health care system (e.g., Turkey), can provide a nuanced view of family integration, which can be both enabling and disabling. Rehabilitation processes and health professionals need to integrate families in ways that will enrich social interaction, but still allow people with disabilities to retain their independence.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Theorising rehabilitation: actors and parameters shaping normality, liminality and depersonalisation in a UK hospital
    (Wiley, 2021) Shakespeare, Tom; Lee, Kate; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 101788
    Sociological concern for rehabilitation remains limited. This paper aims to contribute to rehabilitation theory. It examines two units of a specialist rehabilitation hospital in the UK (amputee and neurological services) by focusing on the key actors involved - families, patients, staff - and the parameters shaping their relationships. The findings extend previous theoretical understandings of rehabilitation in three themes: normality, liminality and depersonalisation. We argue, first: normality is constantly negotiated amongst the different actors. This complicates existing works' critique of rehabilitation as reproducing the ideology of normality. Second, discourses produced during acute care shape the inpatient rehabilitation experience. This calls attention to the pre-rehabilitation phase and complicates existing works' emphasis on the transition from inpatient stay to the time of discharge. Finally, inpatient rehabilitation is notable in rendering the adverse effects of depersonalisation apparent. It combines the bureaucracy of a regular hospital ward, with institutionalising aspects of long-term care. These findings have a potential to enhance practice as well as knowledge. We call for a deeper sociological attention, combining theory-building with empirical data for a better understanding of inpatient rehabilitation.
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    Rehabilitation as a disability equality issue: a conceptual shift for disability studies?
    (Cogitatio Press, 2018) Shakespeare, Tom; Cooper, Harriet; Poland, Fiona; Department of Sociology; Bezmez, Dikmen; Faculty Member; Department of Sociology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities
    Rehabilitation is a controversial subject in disability studies, often discussed in terms of oppression, normalisation, and unwanted intrusion. While there may be good reasons for positioning rehabilitation in this way, this has also meant that, as a lived experience, it is under-researched and neglected in disabilities literature, as we show by surveying leading disability studies journals. With some notable exceptions, rehabilitation research has remained the preserve of the rehabilitation sciences, and such studies have rarely included the voices of disabled people themselves, as we also demonstrate by surveying a cross-section of rehabilitation science literature. Next, drawing on new research, we argue for reframing access to rehabilitation as a disability equality issue. Through in-depth discussion of two case studies, we demonstrate that rehabilitation can be a tool for inclusion and for supporting an equal life. Indeed, we contend that rehabilitation merits disability researchers' sustained engagement, precisely to ensure that a 'right-based rehabilitation' policy and practice can be developed, which is not oppressive, but reflects the views and experiences of the disabled people who rehabilitation should serve.