ABSTRACT
This paper argues that critical urban theorists should reframe their questions on how theory can be useful for practice. Drawing on fieldwork done with participants of the Gezi Park Protest in Istanbul, this paper shows that the relationship between theory and practice is a continuous process that is negotiated by particularities of context. The narratives of feminist, LGBTQI+, and ethnic minority activists in the Gezi Park Protest show that in the case of Istanbul, core concepts of critical urban theory such as right to the city and the urban politics of the inhabitants are involved in stages of activist subject formation, yet lived experiences and their contextual meanings maintain their importance. Moreover, throughout the process of the occupation of Gezi Park, novel practices and moments of encounter produced results that are both contributory to critical urban theoretical frameworks and activist practices in the city. This paper thus contends that epistemological polarizations of theory and practice in the field of critical urban theory should be rethought, especially in light of practical examples.