Tactics of Cultural Adaptation: Design and Production Characteristics of Toys in Istanbul

Abstract

AbstractToys, more than being objects of play, reflect society’s relation to globalization on different layers, manifesting themselves in typologies of toys, their production methods and the industrial organization of the sector, as well as in the exploitation of cultural references in new product development (NPD). Contemporary theories of globalization state that globalization does not only work in a homogenizing and standardizing way but the global dynamics are transformed and adapted by local actors. In the encounter of the Global and the Local, different modes of articulation emerge in addition to the dichotomic responses of acceptance and rejection. In that manner, toys embody an important issue of research, acting as the physical manifestations of local and global dynamics. This paper aims to understand how design and production characteristics of toys have been adapted to the changing socio-economic characteristics of Turkey and Istanbul in particular. Starting from the first instances of systemat...