NEGOTIATING STATE PROVISION: State–Citizen Encounters in the Aftermath of the İzmit Earthquake

The İzmit Earthquake (August 17, 1999) was the most destructive disaster in the history of the Turkish Republic and a major trial for the Turkish state. This article draws on the sociological literature on social citizenship and welfare states to examine the state provision process that followed the disaster. On the basis of ethnographic data collected in the aftermath of the earthquake, I describe how state provision was shaped by the everyday encounters between state agents and survivors, and uncover the cultural repertoire employed in these encounters. I argue that state provision in Turkey is governed by the paternalistic state discourse. I then discuss the historical roots and implications of this finding.