Nicosia Beyond Partition. Complex Geographies of the Divided City

This book is the result of a long period of research conducted by the author in Nicosia with the aim of understanding the complex geographies of its spatial and social configuration. Nicosia is the capital of the two entities that emerged after the Greek Cypriot coup and the subsequent Turkish military occupation of part of the island in 1972. The book frames the consequences of partition through analyses of different scales, from the urban level of everyday life and interactions, to supranational aspects including the role of the European Union and how Cyprus’ membership impacted the path to the resolution of the longstanding conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The spatial crystallisation of this conflict and the reorganisation of the city are the main objects of the study. The book tackles the roles of diverse political and institutional actors, placing them in dialogue with the experiences of people living in a divided city. It discusses citizens’ encounters with the ‘other’, their emotional relations with space, and the role of urban materiality in shaping narratives on the nation and on history.