A feminist view on the transformation of poor inner city areas: TOKI as ‘imposible civilisation,’the sample of Aktaş district in Ankara

This feminist ethnographic research is aimed to find out the relations between the daily lives of women and social policy within the Aktaş neoliberal urbanization project in relation to poverty, participation and security. In this context, the experiences of women who are land owners and dependent on social aids are analysed regarding to gender roles and patriarchal relations. It is seen that women living in poverty defined the project as ‘impossibility’ although they had anticipated to reach the conditions of ‘civilisation’ just like the authorities said.. This ‘impossibility’ find voice in the experiences as 1) homelessness resulting from poverty and security problems defined by unequal patriarchal relations and gender roles, 2) marginalization due to the sexist and oppressive structure, 3) increasing conservatism of the public sphere, and 4) unchanging fear. Related with feminist policy, the article concludes with suggestions on urbanisation projects developed upon gender equality in terms of fighting poverty.