Living Heritage and Nomadic Encounters: A Case Study of Digital Nomads in Istanbul

Digital nomads' growing presence in cities worldwide raises questions about how temporary residents engage with local culture beyond tourist consumption. This research investigates how digital nomads participate in the living culture of Istanbul, that is, the practices and norms that constitute 'ordinary' urban life. Through qualitative interviews with nine digital nomads who resided in Istanbul between three months and six years, the study investigates what structural conditions enable or prevent meaningful cultural participation. Drawing on Hannerz's concept of 'habitats of meaning' and Wenger's 'communities of practice', the analysis reveals that engagement depends less on characteristics of cultural practices than on structural conditions of nomadic life. Deep engagers accessed living culture through Turkish-exclusive social networks, continuous presence, and routines enabling spontaneous encounters, bypassing tourist infrastructure entirely. The most significant finding concerned unmarked everyday practices participants identified as distinctively Turkish yet lacking institutional recognition: trust-based payment, collective cat care, spontaneous hospitality, neighborhood codes. These practices are invisible to insiders through familiarity and to shallow outsiders through insufficient participation. The research indicates that there is a fundamental tension in nomadism characteristics: flexibility, circulation, autonomy versus integration values: commitment, continuity, community. This research contributes to the understanding of lifestyle mobilities, cultural participation in urban contexts, and the opportunities and constraints for belonging among temporary residents