“Alagün Çocukları”: Çocuk Bakış Açısıyla Gecekondu ve Apartman Dikotomisi Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Abstract

The aim of this study is to show how the concepts of housing and slum are perceived by children in the urbanization process by considering the work in question within the framework of the migration issue that has affected many countries since the 19th century. In this study, in which the qualitative content analysis method is applied, Turkey's internal migration process and the subsequent rapid squatting, housing construction and changes in social life during the urban transformation process are presented from the perspective of the child hero Ali. Nezihe Meriç, one of the first female short story writers of 1950-era Turkish literature, focuses on social problems in her works. In her novel Alagün Çocukları , in which she deals with the theme of migration from the village to the city, Meriç describes the effects of the concepts of slums and apartment buildings on individuals in the urbanization process and how they are perceived by them through the eyes of children. The increase in rural migration in the 1950s brought along various problems in cities. In addition to basic physiological needs, the search for a place to live is one of the biggest problems of people coming from rural areas. Newcomers to the city, who are in the position of unqualified labor force, are in a position to do whatever work they can find and live under whatever conditions they can. Most of these people work as janitors in apartments or as cleaners. This situation has brought about different sociological and psychological problems. Some of these problems include the dehumanization of families from rural areas who earn their living as janitors, being seen as mere service providers by apartment residents or being forced to live in basements with inadequate sanitary conditions.

Authors

Halime YEŞİLYURT, & Yılmaz DAŞLI, & Yılmaz DAŞLI

Keywords

Nezihe Meriç, Alagün Çocukları, migration, slum, apartment.

Publication Information

Volume 0, Issue 20, 2025

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15018029

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