The role of "public" in public-private partnershups : reading the cultural heritage management practices of Turkey

This thesis attempts to analyse the notion of “public” as it is used in the cultural heritage field focusing on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects that have emerged in Turkey in the last decade. The study has two main fields of inquiry: the first one is the “public as state”, and the second one is “public as people”. The way in which these two parties interact on cultural heritage management issues is another important aspect of this work. The notion of “public as state” has been investigated through the laws, protocols and recent PPP projects that have come onto the scene in Turkey. The main source of inquiry comes from state discourse based on media analysis, the analysis and categorization of different laws implemented since 2000, and also the language that has been employed by the state. The second concept, “public as people” has been investigated through a field survey conducted with 124 people at 21 different archaeological sites and museums. The intention here is not to measure the success of the existing projects or, by no means to offer generic suggestions to improve their practices; but rather to analyse the context that has led to the emergence of the first examples of PPP in the cultural heritage sector in Turkey and to place this process in a theoretical framework.