The Right to the City for Companion Species: Biopolitical Interventions Toward Street Animals in Turkiye

Abstract

This study explores how street dogs in Turkey have been problematized in public discourse, focusing on their exclusion through the lens of the “right to the city.” In recent years, dogs have been framed as public safety threats, leading to securitization and species-based marginalization. The study uses three key concepts—Haraway’s companion species, Lefebvre’s right to the city, and Foucault’s biopolitics—to examine how urban animals are governed and perceived. It argues that dogs, like humans, are entitled to urban space and should be included in debates about urban rights and justice. By challenging the question “What are dogs doing in the city?”, the study expands urban theory to include non-human life. It ultimately calls for a reconsideration of human-animal relations and urban ethics, offering a more inclusive understanding of the city as a shared space shaped by diverse forms of life.