Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the ways in which chronic congestion, deteriorating roads, and car accidents are understood by Turkish Cypriot youth. Referring to waithood and state impotence, roads become symbolic/symptomatic of the difficulties of early adulthood under entrenched non-recognition.

Paper long abstract:

Based on doctoral research, this paper looks at how Turkish Cypriot youth understand the deterioration and congestion of roads in Girne in relation to the perceived impotence of the unrecognised state and their own experiences of waithood. Girne/Kyrenia is the third largest settlement in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a contested state in the eastern Mediterranean that is subject to non-recognition and international embargoes. Over the last twenty years, the city of Girne has seen a rapid increase in population and buildings, but the infrastructure has not kept up. For Turkish Cypriots in their twenties, Girne's roads have seemed to be decaying for their entire memories, with the roads increasingly unable to cope with the booming population. This paper considers Turkish Cypriot youth's thoughts on poor road quality, lack of public transport, and increasingly frequent car accidents, in the context of their broader views on the viability of their futures within the contested state. Drawing on ethnographic interviews, this paper ties the condition of Girne's roads to young Turkish Cypriots perceptions of their state's (in)ability to provide for its citizens and thus fulfil the functions of a 'real state’. As they navigate their early adulthood, Turkish Cypriot youth thus factor the chronic decline of Girne’s roads into the decision of whether or not they are willing to entrust their futures to a state that many view as incapable of protecting them from fatal car crashes or filling potholes.