HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography

6.2 (2012) 23-32. ISSN-print: 1843-6587/$-see back cover; ISSN-online: 2067–2284-open access
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(c) Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography (c) The author

THE UNITY OF STATEMENT AS THE INTERPRETATION OF SPACE:

THE CASE OF ARCHEO-PARK IN TURKEY

Nadide Karkiner*

Anadolu University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Sociology, Eskisehir, Turkey

Abstract: The aim of this article is to form a unity of statement about an Archeo-Park by using M. Foucault s
archeological analysis The article attempts to trace the process of discursive formation in the Archeo-Park that is
designed from the excavation of Bursa Aktopraklık Mound as the space of organized discourses of prehistory, architecture
and sociology. As relevant units of discourses, the unity of prehistory, architecture and sociology based on the systems of
dispersion of their own statements about the objects in the Archeo-Park , exist as a unity of statement for conserving and
displaying archeological ruins in their original places as open-air museums. As a follower of this unity of statement , the
Archeo-Park defined as Developing Cultural Sector at the Bursa Aktopraklık Mound: a Multifaceted Project as would be
the space of both discursive formation and formation of objects .

Key words: The unity of statement, Archeo-Park, Archeological analysis, Prehistory, Architecture, Sociology.

Article Info: Manuscript Received: February 6, 2012; Revised: May 25, 2012; Accepted: June 15, 2012; Online: November 30, 2012.

Introduction statement it is mentioned the attempt to form a

discourse unity about the conservation and display of
The bold footsteps of history can still be traced in archeological ruins in their original places.
rich archeological sites of Turkey, where various The archeological followers of this unity of
civilizations have flourished over the centuries and statement can be seen in a special section of Turkish
left their unique remnants in this magnificent piece Academy of Sciences Journal of Cultural Inventory
of land. As official witnesses in retracing these on the protection and display of excavated
historically flavored footsteps, numerous prehistoric sites in Turkey which covers several
archeological studies aspired to grasp a different contemporary studies in Turkey. Those studies are
scent of history in Turkey since the 1950s. Karatepe- Çatalhöy“k Atalay et.al., : ; Lalapaşa
Aslantaş Çambel, : project of (alet Çambel, Megalithic Monument Akman, : ; Aşağı
which was conducted in the second half of the 1950s, Pınar Open Air Museum Eres et.al., 0: 183); the
has been a pioneer of open-air museums in the Case of 4th Millennium Arslantepe (Frangipane and
country which aimed to conserve and display Mangano, : ; Aşıklıhöy“k Özbaşaran et.al.,
archeological ruins in their original places (Eres, 2010: : ; Kanlıgeçit Open-Air Museum Arı et.al.,
. More recently, Diyarbakır–Çayönü project of : ; İzmir-Yeşilova Mound Derin, :
Mehmet Özdoğan was the pioneer in the s for and Bursa Aktopraklık Mound Karul et.al., 2010a:
the conservation and display of a settlement of a 241).
prehistoric period (125). These two projects would be Bursa Aktopraklık Mound project Karul et.al.,
main source of the unity of statement not only for 2010a: 241) will be delineated throughout this paper
the scholars in archeology and prehistory disciplines for the purpose of presenting the archeological
but also for interdisciplinary studies. By unity of analyses Foucault, : of the Archeo-Park it
* Correspondence address: develops, stands out as a traditional follower of both
Address: Anadolu University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of (. Çambel s and M.Özdoğan s studies. Aktopraklık
Sociology, Yunusemre Kampusu, 26470, Eskisehir, Turkey mound in northwest Anatolia is one of the significant
Telephone: +90-555-9766400 examples, represents the spreading process of
Email: [email protected]
Neolithic life style to the West from Anatolia
doi:10.5719/hgeo.2012.62.23 Özdoğan and Başgelen, : vıı . Lying at the
 NADIDE KARKINER

intersection of urban, rural and industrial areas, of villagers in the project Karkıner and Yeşildal,
Aktopraklık mound is in Akçalar town of Bursa in 2009).
Marmara region and is dated to 6000-5000 B.C The relevant discursive formation of study is the
(Karul.2007a, 2011a, 2011b). The Archeo-Park project multifaceted project of Karul Karul et.al., a:
emerged from the excavation of Aktopraklık Mound 241) itself. To Hannah (2007: 88), Foucault aims to
that has been directed and executed since 2004 by locate the complex relations that tie units of
Professor Necmi Karul from Istanbul University discourse together within like prehistory,
(Karul, 2007a: 387). architecture and sociology in this project. Rather than
This article is aimed to search a discursive using work , author , discipline and school as
construction of the Archeo-Park as the ultimate aim relevant units of discourse , Foucault proposes to
of Developing Cultural Sector at the Bursa study discursive formations statements and
Aktopraklık Mound as a Multifaceted Project Karul archives (annah, : .
et.al., 2010a: 241). While the mound is a unit of While the Aktopraklık Mound Karul, a;
prehistoric excavation, the Archeo-Park itself has Karul, 2011a; Karul, 2011b; Karul, in press) is the
become the object of a discursive construction , that archive of the Archeo-Park for the unity of
is the archeology of knowledge put forward by statement, prehistory, architecture and sociology are
Michel Foucault as a method. The archeology of the relevant units of discourses about Archeo-Park
knowledge method refers to a style of relating to both as the space of other discursive formations.
discursive materials (annah, : of Their statements as discursive phenomenon are
prehistory, architecture and sociology in this project. specified in the constitution of Archeo-Park as a
The categories of this method are the relevant space in varying time periods. As Foucault suggested,
descriptive dimensions in which organized the archeological analysis,
discourses of disciplines above are placed. These
categories can be extremely useful in the task of individualizes and describes discursive formations.
outlining discursive spaces of dispersion . That is, it must compare them, oppose them to one
another in the simultaneity in which they are presented,
A discursive formation, in turn, can be described
distinguish them from those that do not belong to the
as a provisional unity of discourse whose coherence is
same time-scale, relate them, on the basis of their
attributed to a delimitable range of common objects, specificity, to the non-discursive practices that
subjects, concepts and strategies which have been surround them and serve as a general element for them
formed and probably altered through actual (Foucault, 1995: 157).
discursive events. The result is an account of what
Foucault calls spaces of dispersion Foucault, : The multifaceted project of Karul Karul et.al.,
10, Hannah, 2007: 88). By using the key concepts of 2010a: 241) includes the mound and its findings,
Foucault s archeology of knowledge in various aspects reconstruction of the first prehistoric farmer house as
of Bursa Aktopraklık Mound project, this paper will well as the revival of a Chalcolithic village, cemetery
attempt to trace the process of discursive formation and a traditional village. In the project it is also
in the Archeo-Park . planned to construct an artificial mound for the
In the light of the Foucaldian method and its education of primary and secondary school students
distinctive categories, a question poses itself: how beside the communal areas which comprises the
Archeo-Park has appeared, and has been formed lounge, café and a shop (Karul et.al., 2010a: 243).
and re-formed as an object within its spaces of Therefore, the elements of the Archeo-Park cited
dispersion (annah, : -89). If the focus is on above constitute the discursive phenomena of
the formation of objects in the Archeo-Park , it discursive formations of prehistory, architecture and
appears both as an object of discursive formation as sociology. These discursive formations can be
a provisional discourse and the space of organized opposed, compared and presented simultaneously
discourses of prehistory, architecture and sociology. and distinguished on the basis of the time period to
The formation of objects in the Archeo-park which they belong.
began with the placement of 200-year-old six wooden One can notice practices related to these
houses across the northwest of the mound. Those discursive phenomena. Thus, the archeological
houses are from the Eskikızılelma village description of Foucault tries to establish the
kilometers away from the mound area. regularity of statements or discursive formations by
Approximately 80 peoples from the village worked in uncovering the regularity of discursive practice
the excavation and reconstruction of wooden houses (Foucault, 1995: 144-5). Nonetheless, in the
as seasonal workers more than half of whom were archeological analyses of the Archeo-Park ,
males. A sociological field work was conducted in the prehistory, architecture and sociology have their own
village in summer 2009 in order to analyze the domains and unities, which are juxtaposed,
aspects of social, economic and cultural participation separated and confront one another . For the

24 HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32
T(E UN)TY OF STATEMENT AS T(E )NTERPRETAT)ON OF SPACE

purpose of discourse unity among them, their house, traditional village with wooden houses and the
statements different in form, and dispersed in time, communal area with the meeting rooms, café and a
form a group if they refer to one and the same object shop (Karul et.al., 2010a: 243).
Foucault, : as the Archeo-Park . So the Although there is an apparent regularity between
statements of prehistory, architecture and sociology objects in the Archeo-Park as a space, they are
are different but related the ruins of mound, the dispersed across time. Yet, all these objects refer to
wooden houses from Eskikızılelma village and the Archeo-Park for a unity of statement. While the
laborers of excavation that are dispersed in time. unity of discourse refers to the Archeo-Park , the
Consequently, all of them refer the Archeo-Park that unity of statement has its roots both in personal
is the space of discourse unity. efforts of Halet Çambel as a pioneer woman
The appearance of objects in Archeo-Park during archeologist and the work of her in Karatepe-Aslantaş
a given period of time is enabled by the rules of in Adana, Turkey.
interplay Foucault, : . That means the finds (er student M. Özdoğan summarizes the
of mound, wooden houses, first prehistoric farmer rules of formation in the work of Çambel as follows:
houses, Chalcolithic village, cemetery, traditional
village, the lounge, café and a shop in Archeo-Park She foresees that the villagers need to have a stable
are shaped by measures of discrimination income to ensure the survival of a museum on the
according to the methods of prehistoric excavation. mountain in a forest. In the following years she
encouraged villagers to feed sheep instead of goat in
They are not only differentiated in prehistory,
order to protect the forest; found out the use of root
architecture and sociology but are also manifested
paints to generate income from weaving kilim to
(33) in archeological and historical descriptions and establish relations with state authorities individually to
circumscribed by archeological, architectural open a school, to provide education, construct roads,
and sociological concepts. and supply water and electricity. At times the outcomes
Accordingly, the unity of discourse on Archeo- did not turn out as Çambel had imagined originally. She
Park would be the interplay of the rules that define could not prevent forest fires and excesses of kilim
the transformations of different objects like the weaving; nevertheless the Karatepe-Aslantaş model
mound and the identification of its findings, wooden would constitute a good example of what should be
done or should not be done in an archeological site .
houses and the labor of villagers. The gap between
the timing of the mound, wooden houses, labor of
villagers and modern buildings has a determining In the work of Çambel, the coexistence,
factor for the discontinuity between the mound, the maintenance, modification and disappearance of
wooden houses and laborers The unity of prehistory, findings, villagers and other factors form the rules of
architecture and sociology can be based on the formation of establishments as in the case of
Karatepe-Aslantaş. )n an interview , Professor Karul
1
systems of dispersion of their statements about the
objects above (37). noted their attempt to support the unity of statement
To specify a system of dispersion (Foucault, 1995: formed by Halet Çambel with most of their
38) among a number of statements defining a colleagues in the university.
regularity between objects, positions, functionings Archeo-Park s emergence as an object has its
and transformations in the Archeo-Park , the temporalities . )t maintains relations with the
focus is placed on the discursive formation by surfaces of emergence on three levels of temporality
avoiding the holistic statements of science, ideology, (Hannah, 20 : . The first is the order of
theory and objectivity. Since the holistic theoretical appearance of Archeo-Park both in archeology,
formations prove inadequate in designating a prehistory , architecture and sociology as an object of
dispersion of statements of prehistory, art history, discourse. The second level is the different
architecture and sociology in Archeo-Park , the rules sequences of Archeo-Park which other
of formation Foucault, : of Foucault s archeologists, prehistorians, architects and
analysis provide discourses, their related objects and sociologists have been informed about and
statements to disperse in space, not in time. The acknowledged this genuine attempt. The third one is
thematic choices of Karul b in Archeo-Park the longevity and duration of Archeo-Park as a
are also subjected to rules of formation not only as discursive object that could be preserved for
conditions of existence but also of coexistence, numerous years. This point is aptly depicted by Karul
maintenance, modification and disappearance (2007b) as follows:
(Foucault, 1995: 38) of the objects, statements and
Continuous evaluations of the Project have been made
claims of discourses in space. Concomitantly, the
for its protection and functionality. It will be
rules of formation of Archeo-Park can be specified as
the coexistence, maintenance and modification of 1
A personal interview with Prof. Dr. Necmi Karul in June
findings of the excavation, the first prehistoric farmer 2010

HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32 25
 NADIDE KARKINER

operationalized by attributing functions to spaces in like the wooden houses of Eskikızılelma village; the
consideration of the perspective of archeological data sociological analysis of seasonal workers in the
and by constructing small ecosystems for the excavation; the social and economic participation of
vitalization of the paleo-geography .
villagers in the project such as being involved in the
communal area, café and the shop which included
Furthermore, he mentioned that the open air the meeting center for workshops, displays and
museums like Aslantaş-Karatepe in Adana (Çambel, accommodation constitute the surfaces of emergence
2010: 131), Çayönü-Diyarbakır Özdoğan, : of the cultural heritage plan of Aktopraklık mound
and Aşağı Pınar-Kırklareli Eres et.al., 2010: 183) have as the Archeo-Park .
also formed a basis for other contemporary studies The second dimension in the formation of
Karul et.al., a: . (owever, Aslantaş-Karatepe objects is the temporalities of emergence (annah,
by Halet Çambel in the Mediterranean region of : . The first temporalities of emergence of
Turkey has survived as an open air museum since the the Archeo-Park is the Aktopraklık mound
1940s. excavation which has been continued since 2004
Following the rules of formation, one may pose (Karul, 2007a; Karul, 2011a; Karul, 2011b; Karul in
such a significant question inspired by Foucault as press). The other is to include the potential of natural
what has ruled the existence of Archeo-Park as an and cultural environment of the surrounding
object of discourse. The response can be provided by landscape (Karul et.al., 2010a: 242).
uncovering different dimensions of the constitution The third dimension is the authorities of
of objects. There exist three dimensions of the delimitation , which refer to the archeologists as a
constitution of objects in a discursive formation body of knowledge and practice Foucault, : ,
(Foucault, 1995: 41, Hannah, 2005: 90). These include as the authority which delimited, designated, named
the surfaces of emergence , the temporalities of and established the Archeo-Park as an object.
emergence and the authorities of delimitation . As Those are the subject positions from which
this analysis delineates, these three dimensions are individuals have or acquire the right to define and
visible in the Archeo-Park in the constitution of delineate the objects of a discursive formation
objects. (Hannah, 2005: 90). These subject positions are
The first is mapping the surface of emergence of fulfilled by the archeologists for establishing the
the Archeo-Park. Thereby, it is assigned the status of projects like Archeo-Park .
an object in the field of initial differentiation, in the After examining the authorities of delimitation ,
distances, the discontinuities and the thresholds that surfaces of emergence and temporalities of
appear within it for making it manifest, nameable, emergence as dimensions for the constitution of the
and describable Foucault, : . This study Archeo-Park as a discursive object in a discursive
suggests that these surfaces of emergence are not the formation, the next section will be dedicated to the
same for different societies, at different periods, and grids of specification as its locations in a unity of
in different forms of discourse Foucault, : . statement.
Hannah (2005: 92) defines the surfaces of emergence
as specific discursive and institutional sites in which
objects first emerged are re-configured . The Archeo-
The Locations of Archeo-Park in a Unity of
park as an object of discourse unity has three
surfaces of emergence : the first is the excavation of
Statement
Aktopraklık Mound and its findings. The second is
the archeological tradition of Istanbul University )n the formation of Archeo-Park as a discursive
whose roots go back to Professor Halet Çambel in the object, authorities of delimitation , surfaces of
field of Prehistory. In Turkey Professor Çambel has emergence and temporalities of emergence can all
been the leading figure in the management of influence and, in turn, be influenced by grids of
cultural heritage during the 1950s when the specification (annah, : as Foucault
conceptual approaches of UNESCO and ICOMOS had identified. The prehistory, architecture and sociology
not yet been fully formed (Editorial Board, 2010: 137). are grids of specification in which Archeo-Park is
The third can be seen in the cultural heritage located as a discursive formation. The grids of
management plan of Aktopraklık mound Karul specification can be described as the systems where
et.al., a: . The Aktopraklık mound with its objects of any discourse are divided, contrasted,
three different settlements (Karul, in press: 1, Karul, related, regrouped, classified and derived Foucault,
2011a: 63); the display and protection of archeological 1995: 42) for the unity of statement. Put differently,
remains; the construction of an artificial mound for the grids of specification of the Archeo-Park as an
educational purposes in prehistoric excavations; the object are the prehistory, architecture and sociology
prehistoric and traditional revitalization of villages for a discourse unity. So the question arises as to how
the set of rules of Management Plan of Cultural

26 HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32
T(E UN)TY OF STATEMENT AS T(E )NTERPRETAT)ON OF SPACE

(eritage of Bursa Aktopraklık Karul et.al., a: such as urbanism, the rise of international trade
are divided, contrasted, related, regrouped, networks, and state formation in a broad supra-regional
classified and derived Foucault, : for unity perspective.
of statement. Another question would be how are the
archeological remains, the artificial mound, Moreover, the mound excavation as a sphere of
revitalized villages, the wooden houses, laborers, sociological research and a source for female and
village, communal area, café and shop are divided male leaders among laborers to apply Eres
and related? The answer to these questions will be observations on prehistoric open-air museums of the
discussed by analyzing how these grids of world is one of the underlying motives of this paper
specification have been represented by the mound, on the Cultural Sector in Bursa Aktopraklık Mound .
wooden houses and the laborers. According to Eres (2010), existing prehistoric open-air
museums in the world which number around
thousands, feature a wide range of approaches in site
The Aktopraklık Mound: Inside or Outside? management, conservation and modes of display, yet
each site should be considered as a unique case
(aving exterior ridges is the determining factor in for potential labor participation and
the Management Plan of Cultural (eritage of Bursa entrepreneurship of villagers. Thereby, the Archeo-
Aktopraklık Karul et.al., a: . Forming a Park is established not only inside but also outside
discursive unity makes it possible for the study to be the mound, which is the grid of specification of its
specific, challenging and underlines the ridges of the discursive formation.
Archeo-Park as a real establishment. Therefore, the
landscape on which Aktopraklık Mound lies is at the
intersection of an economically speculative area Wooden Houses: A Puzzle or a
produces conflicting interests. Deconstruction?
To the north of Aktopraklık Mound are large
factories in an industrial area. The settlements in The Archeo-Park project was planned to reconstruct
Aktopraklık are named as sites A, B and C. Site C is the 150-200-year-old wooden houses in the traditional
already discovered during the construction of a village. For this purpose, the craftsmen from the
factory near the protected settlement area Karul Eskikızılelma village deconstructed the wooden
and Avcı, : . houses and reconstructed them in the north of the
The mound lies on a piece of the land privately Archeo-Park which resembled a remake of a puzzle.
owned by the factory. The management of the factory Before deconstruction, each part was labeled by an
has continuously dumped detritus on a disused part art historian and architect. As a witness of this
to prevent excavations being conducted. process, the author observed that their subsequent
Consequently, there is a virtual struggle between the reconstruction turned out to be very difficult despite
excavation management and the factory the expertise of the craftsmen. The deconstruction of
management. Yet, the factory continues to sponsor houses denotes a subversion of traditional
the lunch provided to the excavation team. dichotomies and the destruction of unity in its parts.
This unique establishment of the Mound as an Unity here refers to the holism, continuity and the
object for the unity of statement and as a system of life of villagers who became the prisoners of
dispersion (Foucault, 1995: 38), therefore, presents traditionalism.
the Archeo-Park as a place of struggle at the local However, the reconstruction of houses in the
level. Consequently, the search for a discourse unity Archeo-Park symbolizes the victory of rupture and
has to underline the sets of struggles against discontinuity over continuity and holism. After the
international companies, speculators, genetically remake of the puzzle, a gap emerged between the
modified organisms, hybrid seeds and poverty in past and the present by transferring the houses from
their social, natural and cultural contexts. This has Eskikızılelma village to Archeo-Park . This poses an
been the contradiction of societal development from important challenge to holistic understanding of
past to present. As a matter of fact, the thoughts of history (Sarup, 1995: 74) placing events of history in
Diederik Meijer as an archeologist supported the linear processes. In this sense archeology
continuity of struggles in social, economic, political disarticulates the synchrony of breaks, just as it
and cultural development of societies (During (2011: destroyed the abstract unity of change and event
69) : (Foucault, 1995: 176).
)n the Archeo-Park it is planned to construct six
the prime subject of archeology consists of wooden houses as in the traditional village and six
investigating how and why complex societies emerged. cottages as the first prehistoric farmer houses. In
Accordingly he taught his students to think about issues addition to these, it is planned to construct four

HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32 27
 NADIDE KARKINER

houses as the revival of a Chalcolithic village. The villagers and laborers. Karul (2009) assumed that
communal area will be constructed with a display those leaders were leading the villagers social and
room, accommodation, café and shops (Karul et.al., economic participation in the project. As a specific
2010a: 247). The discontinuity between the histories case, Azime Borazancı is a female leader who gave an
of houses means the synchronic placement of houses interview to a national TV channel about her
from different time periods. expectations. She claimed that she could understand
)n this sense, the excavation of Aktopraklık the value of the remains she discovered during
Mound represents the holistic view of history with excavation or washing. Furthermore, she told about
its methodology and knowledge building; the the predictions of income generating activities that
Archeo-Park continuously reconstructs the gap would determine the degree of their social, economic
between past and present through the houses and its and cultural participation in the project (Karul et.al.,
spatial support to non-agricultural activities. The 2010a: 252).
unity of statement is inevitable for the continuous The sociological study enables the villagers to
reconstruction of the gap. To this aim, the laborers of search for their potential in taking part in a new
the excavation have to identify themselves with non- institution. While they work in excavation with picks
agricultural activities in the Archeo-Park . and trowels, archeology students and archeologists as
the authorities of delimitation monitor their work.
Seen through a problematic linear thinking, there has
The Ridge That Destroys Holism: Excavation always been a distance between the villagers and the
Laborers archeologists, the architects, the art historians and
the sociologists in the project. While this distance
Sociology as a grid of specification attempts to was narrow in such a local place as village, it widened
determine ridges formed by society. Therefore, in the excavation area. The archeologists exist as the
building new institutions at the local level that local authority of knowledge in the excavation. It the end,
people can express themselves and claim for their the unity of statement of multi-faceted knowledge
own needs Silva, : is more meaningful for produced in the Archeo-Park includes a
the villagers. )n this sense, the Archeo-Park proposes discontinuity and temporal dislocation, which means
social, cultural and economic advantages for a discontinuity between the time periods of the
structuring an environment in a non-agricultural mound, wooden houses, prehistoric houses and the
development. villagers as laborers. This causes a temporal
Thus the rural space is both defined by its dislocation and discontinuity that has always been
particular relationship to the land, and, in broader dominant in the archeological knowledge building of
terms, to nature and environment Silva, : in the Archeo-Park .
agricultural production and as a new environment in While the image of equality between the villagers
a non-agricultural development. and the archeologists, the art historians, the
)n this sense, the Archeo-Park project Karul architects and the sociologists was destroyed in the
et.al., 2010a: 253) constitutes the objective of non- excavations, the Archeo-Park as a space of non-
agricultural development in rural restructuring. In agricultural development provided the villagers with
this framework, the villagers left agricultural the means to organize their interests and create new
production for the larger market. Currently, they try social and economic mechanisms as new social
to survive with subsistence production and non- actors Silva, : of the region. The project not
agricultural seasonal wage. Still, they see the only involves the local population but also places a
potential of the Archeo-Park as a social, economic special emphasis on the municipalities in the region.
and cultural institution in creating non-agricultural As can be seen in the different locations above, the
activities (Karul et.al., 2010a: 253). What is striking Archeo-Park is the space of diverse form of
here that current villagers of the region work in the statements of archeologists, architects, sociologists
excavation of three settlements in Aktopraklık and laborers.
mound which has been evaluated as prehistoric
villages maintained themselves by agricultural
production as first farmers of Marmara region (Karul, The Space of Diverse Form of Statements
a: , Karul and Avcı, b, Karul, a: .
A sociological field research was conducted The establishment of Archeo-Park as the space of
between July and August Karkıner the diverse form of statements renders it possible to
and Yeşildal, in Eskikızılelma village by aiming place the mound, wooden houses, prehistoric houses
to understand the viewpoint of villagers as local and modern buildings in the project simultaneously.
actors about the Archeo-Park and to reveal male and This is because it is a must to discover the law
female leaders who will organize the role of other operating behind diverse forms of statements, and

28 HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32
T(E UN)TY OF STATEMENT AS T(E )NTERPRETAT)ON OF SPACE

the place where they come from Foucault, : . laborers in the excavation area of the mound. To
These details have been examined in the previous form a unity of statement, all those varying forms of
pages clearly. Consequently, the Archeo-Park as a knowledge disperse in time and space. Furthermore,
multi-faceted project would be the space of these varying forms of knowledge do not enjoy
practices and the space of discourse accumulation. privilege over one another.
The rules of the Cultural Management Plan of )n case of the Archeo-Park , discontinuity enables
Aktopraklık are defined as the first farmer house , archeology, prehistory, architecture and sociology as
revival of a Chalcolithic village , cemetery , forms of knowledge to discontinue and to rupture, to
traditional village of wooden houses and the change and to transform it to an object of discourse.
artificial mound beside the communal area Karul
et.al., 2010a: 243). This area comprises the meeting
rooms for conferences and exhibitions, lounge, café The Object of Discourse
and a shop (243). All these elements of the Archeo-
Park above are grouped together in distinct figures, The Archeo-Park fulfills the necessary conditions to
composed together in accordance with multiple appear as an object of discourse . As Foucault
relations, maintained or blurred in accordance with suggests:
specific regularities Foucault, : , which
means that it will not be a place, but a space of “The conditions necessary for the appearance of an
practices. It also serves as a space of discourse object of discourse, the historical conditions required if
accumulation. One can conclude that the Archeo- one is to say anything about it, and if several people
Park is the object of the discourse unity and its are to say different things about it, the conditions
necessary if it is to exist in relation to other objects, if it
properties define a particular level of a practice that
is to establish with them relations of resemblance,
causes a multiplicity of statements to emerge as so
proximity, distance, difference, transformation—as we
many regular events . )t also reveals the rules of can see, these conditions are many and imposing
practice that enables statements (of archeology, (Foucault, 1995: 44).
prehistory, architecture, art history and sociology)
both to survive and to undergo regular modification Although the excavation work in the mound is
(130) in the Archeo-Park . executed in a holistic and continuous discursive
)n attempting to determine a unity of statement practice, Archeo-Park exists in relation to other
among the multiplicity of statements about the objects like wooden houses, prehistoric farmer house
Archeo-Park Karul b in the excavation area, and Chalcolithic village, cemetery, and the artificial
Aktopraklık Mound can be taken as the place of time mound beside the meeting center which comprises
intervals of houses, laborers and communal area), the rooms for conferences and exhibitions, lounge,
formations statements of archeology, prehistory, café and a shop (Karul et.al., 2010a:243). Moreover, it
architecture, art history and sociology , vanishings is established by the relations of resemblance,
and discursive rule of interplay . As a starting point proximity, distance, difference and transformation
of the project it would be the general system of the between the objects cited above. These relations,
formation and transformation of statements however, have transformed the area of mound into
(Foucault, 1995: 130). another place with other objects which have
Formation of a unity of statement necessitates distances and differences among themselves in terms
refusing the holistic forms of knowledge that foresee of temporality. As an object of discourse Archeo-
the division of knowledge into parts and Park is conceived with other objects in its
spatialization of reason. Hence, the aim of surrounding area . Thereby, it is the Archeo-Park
archeological analysis is to define discourses in their which will realize the relations with other objects.
specificity; to show in what way the set of rules that One of these objects is the houses aimed to be
they put into operation is irreducible to any other; to reconstructed in their original forms near the
follow them the whole length of their exterior ridges, excavation area after a process of deconstruction in
in order to underline them the better Foucault, their original places where their protection was
1995: 139). impossible (Karul, 2007b). Professor Karul explains
The project of Archeo-Park as an object of this process in the following terms:
discourse originates as a discursive formation along
three dimensions. Foucault distinguishes these three With the study named as Sample Village Archeo-
dimensions as discontinuity , temporal dislocation Park), the aim is the reconstruction of a building or
and unity of statement . The discontinuity between group of buildings which conserve their traditional
the forms of knowledge claimed by archeology, characteristics (in the village) or in the remains of
excavation. This village is not only adapted to the
architecture and sociology originates from the
natural environment in its originality, but is also
temporal dislocation of objects and villagers as

HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32 29
 NADIDE KARKINER

established in a certain distance from the archeological Basically, it is not an alternative institutional
remains with the aim of conservation Karul, 2007b). structure for the organization of local people, but
rather an attempt to include different statements
)n the Archeo-Park as a space, there occurs the (archeology, architecture, sociology, peasants) to
coexistence of dispersed and heterogeneous execute the localized political struggles with specific
statements Foucault, : of prehistory, art power relations of peasants as laborers in the
history, architecture and sociology. Archeologists as excavation, the mayors, archeologists, architectures,
the authorities of delimitation govern the division of art historians and Professor Karul himself.
statements of disciplines above by transforming, This necessitated a multi-faceted perspective or a
arranging and replacing them. peculiar kind of multi-faceted knowledge that
surrounds our view of the human condition and
human relationships with each other and the wider
Conclusion world Darvill, : . The multifaceted features
of the Archeo-Park represent a new formation in the
The Archeo-Park , as an object of the archeology of region. These features include the statements of
knowledge and the space of unity of statement prehistory, architecture and sociology as well as the
attempts to practice a different history of what men participation of villagers, local administrations,
have said Foucault, : by rejecting the linear municipalities and the archeologists as the new
form of history that is determining in the excavation social actors . Furthermore, multifaceted features
of mound. The significance of this attempt lies at the support the argument that, increasing complexity of
coexistence of localized political struggles and societies (During, 2011: 69) will always be the issue of
specific power relations (Sarup, 1995: 94) beside other archeology in future.
prehistoric excavations, differed in their geographical The original value of this multifaceted project
situation in northwest Anatolia as Karul mentioned originated in the excavation of Aktopraklık Mound,
(2011a: 63): reiterated itself in Eskikızılelma village and had its
outcomes in the Archeo-Park .
According to their geographical situation, Barçın and Eres claim about prehistoric open-air museums of
Menteşe are plain settlements. Likewise, )lıpınar, which
the world that each site should be considered as a
is situated just at the western end of the Lake İznik is a
unique case is one of the underlying sources in
plain settlement, too. On the other hand, Fikirtepe,
Pendik and Aktopraklık are different. Fikirtepe and writing this paper about the Cultural Sector in Bursa
Pendik are in coastal areas, while Aktopraklık is nearly Aktopraklık Mound -(Eres, 2010: 119). The other
coastal, but more in a foothill location . source is the problematization of the archeological
knowledge building in this project. The synchronic
Moreover, the different stages of occupation at juxtaposition of objects from different time periods in
Aktopraklık were not superimposed each other, but an excavation area is a discontinuity and necessitates
rather either shifted horizontally and down slope the conceptualization of relations of resemblance,
form one valley ridge to the other opposite Karul, proximity, distance, difference and transformation
2007: 391-392, cited in Karul and Avcı, b: . (Foucault, 1995: 44), within three settlements in the
Consequently, among other excavations, the Mound and the placements around it. While there is
specificity of Aktopraklık mound is the Archeo-Park a resemblance and proximity between the different
that would be significant as far as the formation of sites of mound, time distance and difference is
local political struggle is concerned. While the determining between the objects and they are
multinational and transnational capital reified the transformed in a geographical proximity in the
agricultural regions in underdeveloped countries Archeo-Park .
either in the name of support or in the name of In a different perspective Karul called his project
restructuring, this project is a significant example of a multifaceted project Karul et. al., a: by
local political struggle which builds new social and mentioning on the coexistence of dispersed and
economic institutions for the participation of local heterogeneous statements Foucault, :
people as new social actors Silva, : in the originated from the time distance and differences
region. High costs of agricultural production force between the objects forces the analysis of the
peasants to leave agricultural production and seek Archeo-Park as an object
new income opportunities like working as seasonal Therefore, the archeological knowledge building
wage labourers in varying jobs like archeological in the Archeo-Park has ethical, social and political
excavation (Karul et. al, 2010a: 253) and have been implications beside its multi-faceted characteristics
cooperated the establishment of the Archeo-Park as a space. As an object of discourse whereas the
Karul and Avcı, b: as local social actors. Archeo-Park includes different statements of
differentiating discursive formations, villagers and

30 HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography 6.2 (2012) 23-32
T(E UN)TY OF STATEMENT AS T(E )NTERPRETAT)ON OF SPACE

the people in the surroundings of the excavation area İzmir–Yeşilova: time travel , TÜBA-KED (Turkish
represent linear thinking as evidences of knowledge Academy of Sciences Journal of Cultural Inventory), 8(8):
building process throughout the project. 263–274.
During, BS 2011, Fortifications and fabrications: reassessing
This study is an attempt to present an
the emergence of fortifications in prehistoric Asia Minor,
archeological analysis (Foucault, 1995) of a unique
in BS During, A Wossink, PMMG Akkermans (eds),
case for the unity of statements that dispersed in Correlates of Complexity, Nederlands Instituut Voor Het
time. Not only the statements but also archeologists, Nabije Oosten, 69-85, Leiden.
art historians, sociologists, architectures, Eres, Z , Özel konu: T“rkiye de tarihöncesi kazı
anthropologists and archeo-botanists are dispersed in alanlarında koruma ve sergileme çalışmaları Special
time synchronically to reveal the rules of a practice section: protection and public display of excavated
that enables statements both to survive and to prehistoric sites in Turkey , TÜBA-KED (Turkish
undergo regular modification Foucault, : . academy of sciences journal of cultural inventory), vol. 8.
nr. 8, pp. 101-102.
The Archeo-Park would be a place where the
Eres, Z, Özdoğan, E, & Demirtaş, A , Aşağı Pınar açık
Aktopraklık mound is prevented from oblivion but
hava m“zesi: yaklaşım, uygulama s“reci ve karşılaşılan
couldn t escape from spatial modification as an sorunlar Aşağı Pınar open-air museum: concept,
object. implementation and problems encountered , TÜBA-KED
(Turkish academy of sciences journal of cultural
inventory), vol. 8. nr.8, pp. 1 83-200.
Acknowledgement Foucault, M 1995, The Archeology of Knowledge, Routledge,
London.
I owe a special gratitude to Professor Necmi Karul, from the Frangipane, M & Mangano, D 2010, The exhibition of a
Department of Prehistory in Istanbul University, who not mud-brick monumental complex in a stratified mound:
only allowed me to write about his project named as the case of 4th millennium Arslantepe (Malatya) (Bir
Developing Cultural Sector at the Bursa Aktopraklık höy“kte anıtsal kerpiç yapı topluluğunun sergilenmesi: .
Mound: A Multifaceted Project , but also contributed and binyıl Arslantepe Malatya Örneği , TÜBA-KED (Turkish
supported me in writing this article. Academy of Sciences Journal of Cultural Inventory), 8(8):
201-214.
Hannah, M 2007, Formations of Foucault in anglo-
American geography: an archeological sketch , in J
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