Abandoned by the State: Deindustrialization, Informalization, and Coal Miners' Lives in Zonguldak, Turkey
Presented By: Mehmet Eroglu, MSU Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences. Co-sponsored by the MSU Asian Studies Center
This presentation explores the experiences of coal miners living and working in Zonguldak, located in northwestern Turkey. Mehmet investigates how the decline of the formal coal industry since the 1980s has impacted the livelihoods of miners and their families, who have historically depended on this industry.
Furthermore, he addresses the rise of informal coal mining in the region and examines how both informal and formal miners shape Zonguldak’s landscape through their interactions with each other, the state, and private companies.