Cansu Sönmez talks to us about her research on people’s responses to large infrastructure projects, like dams and railways, that disrupt their lives and the spaces where they live.

Cansu shares the story of what happened in the old town of Hasankeyf in Turkey, which was recently flooded by a large dam built to provide hydroelectric power. She also describes the ongoing resistance in Italy against the TAV high speed railway, and how people link memories with places in ways that challenge the visions of developers and the state. We discuss the idea of ‘organised abandonment’ and what it means for people and places who are left behind.

Cansu Sönmez is a PhD candidate at the Gran Sasso Science Institute in L’Aquila, Italy. The interviewer is Nathan Oxley, Centre for Future Natures / IDS.

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