The lacandon forest and the political: A Rancièrean account of the Zapatista movement

---

Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2014

Öğrenci: AYKUT ÖRKÜP

Danışman: ASLI ÇIRAKMAN DEVECİ

Özet:

This thesis aims to show that the Zapatista movement has a political character in line with the thought of Jacques Rancière. The main themes of Rancière's understanding of politics, such as police/politics distinction, presupposition of equality and subjectivization are presented. It is argued that the Zapatista movement has created a rupture in the police order since the initial uprising of January 1, 1994 showed that there was another world which had been invisible. It is also asserted that the movement has acted out of the presupposition of equality, not only in the declarations, communiques and statements of the members of the EZLN, but also in the practices and principles followed within the Zapatista communities. Finally it is argued that the characteristics of subjectivization, which are argumentative demonstration, theatrical dramatization and impossible identification, are observed in the movement. It is thought that the examination of the Zapatista movement with reference to Rancière's understanding of the ‘political’ will be helpful to understand the Zapatista movement and the hope that it implies for the all movements around the world.