In the AFPP conference I would like to present my research on the political collectives in Istanbul which seek to challenge the ongoing government repression and social engineering by initiating a grassroots movement through simple everyday practices such as riding a bike. In the absence of a possibility to engage in institutional and traditional politics, such practices are turned into subtle political tools that enable a long-term mobilization. These activities create spaces for socialization where social norms are born and negotiated outside the social and political agenda of the government. I am interested in the internal functioning of these collectives as well as the development and execution of their agenda. My central research questions are : is there a hierarchy among and within the collectives? If so, how does it operate? How the division of labor is established? How do they determine their strategies and how can we evaluate their efficiency? The aim is to demonstrate the ways in which the multiplication of such autonomous zones transform the social fabric and consequently, the politics. This research is part of my PhD dissertation that I have been carrying out in Istanbul since 2016 and which comprises 35 semi-structured interviews and observations. The focus is on five particular groups : Bicycle collective of Don Quixote (Don Kişot Bisiklet Kolektifi), Defense of Northern Forests (Kuzey Ormanları Savunması), Plaza Action Platform (Plaza Eylem Platformu), Kadıköy City Solidarity (Kadıköy Kent Dayanışması), and Solidarty Academies (Dayanışma Akademileri).