First the pandemic, then the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes increased interest in caravans. Experts say that people see living in caravans as an alternative due to security concerns. Dr. Nihan Kalkandelen, Faculty Member at Üsküdar University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, explains the behavioral change, stating, “A caravan was once a luxury to temporarily move away from where you were rooted, to take a break from the weariness of life. Today, under our current circumstances, the meaning of caravan life is much different. This time, it's not about escaping the city's crowd to establish our own comfort zone, but rather the anxiety of being able to build our security walls that has pushed us towards this mobile lifestyle. In a system where possessions and decoration have lost their meaning, we prioritize surviving with only as much as we need.”
We turned to caravans to build our own security walls
Dr. Nihan Kalkandelen, Faculty Member at Üsküdar University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, states that the impossibilities in meeting basic needs after the earthquake have led people to design a life where they will not face these problems and to turn to caravan living.
The struggle transforms from societal to individual
Dr. Nihan Kalkandelen stated that we are trying to adapt to new normals in the face of extraordinary situations and are struggling to survive, adding, “While every struggle can leave more lasting effects when it is collective and shaped by common consciousness, here our struggle turns individual. We can see this situation as a way for people who do not feel safe and have lost faith in the protection of their security to protect themselves. On the other hand, in a structure where everyone can produce their own solutions, the continuation of sociality becomes difficult.”
People do not want to live anxiously inside reinforced concrete buildings
Kalkandelen pointed out that the human right to shelter has been usurped due to incorrect structuring, saying, “In the face of the magnitude of the earthquake and the painful consequences etched into minds, people, in their effort to establish a living space for themselves, cling to creating their own safe, inviolable, and indestructible space rather than living anxiously inside reinforced concrete buildings built by others. The reason for this is that the human right to shelter has been usurped due to incorrect structuring, and people are finding solutions through their own methods. But whether this is a permanent and effective solution needs to be discussed. The idea of everyone under earthquake threat living in caravans and becoming the mobile people of caravan cities from now on is quite thought-provoking.”
Caravan was a luxury to take a break from the weariness of life
Discussing the distinguishing features of caravan life, Dr. Nihan Kalkandelen said, “A caravan was once a luxury to temporarily move away from where you were rooted, to take a break from the weariness of life. We had the reality of living nomadically at will, taking our living space with us, and feeling free. Caravan life was a means to plan our time according to our own preferences and to connect with nature. Moreover, a minimalist lifestyle did not harm our sense of satisfaction or our comfort zone. While leading our rooted, regular lives in a city, a caravan was perhaps attractive because it gave us the power to manage our own time.”
We prioritize surviving with only as much as we need
Stating that the conditions we live in today have changed, Kalkandelen said, “This time, the meaning of caravan life is much different. This time, it's not about escaping the city's crowds to establish our own comfort zone. It's the anxiety of being able to build our security walls that have no risk of collapsing that has pushed us towards this mobile lifestyle. In a system where possessions and decoration have lost their meaning, we prioritize surviving with only as much as we need.”
Not an individual choice, but a compulsory individual life
Kalkandelen stated that the power outages, heating problems, and impossibilities in meeting basic needs experienced after the earthquake led people to design a life in their caravan homes where they would not face these problems, saying, “This situation, which somewhat alleviates the fear of earthquakes, pushes people into their own corner, an area where they can save themselves or guarantee their own lives. This situation is another version of humans observing and evaluating nature and their environment with a rational perspective. Instead of remaining passive in the face of nature and natural disasters, we see the active stance of individuals who question and choose to experience and undertake initiatives in this direction. This active stance is not an arbitrary, individual choice alone, but a compulsory individual struggle for survival. Everyone's individual struggle actually reveals a different social consciousness, but this time the way out is independent, with a common purpose. If we had accepted the reality of living with earthquakes and produced planned solutions with social consciousness, we would not have needed such unplanned individual solutions.”
Our social order shaped by interconnected relationships is giving way to mobile life
“We are facing a transformation process that affects the social structure, and this transformation begins with the family, the most fundamental agent of socialization. Some families prefer caravan life because their homes were burglarized, while others do so due to rising rents,” said Dr. Nihan Kalkandelen, Faculty Member at Üsküdar University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, concluding her words: “The crowded extended families of the periods when we transitioned to settled life, our social order shaped by interconnected relationships, are giving way to mobile life. We seem to be uprooting ourselves and separating from each other. However, on the other hand, this situation can be seen as a harbinger of a state of social mobilization. Even if we start to become independent and individualized, this struggle, in which we will learn to remain strong, will give us the ability to act as a whole again, and this will perhaps create an effect starting from the family and spreading to the entire society…”