Feminism and Feminist History-Writing in Turkey The Discovery of Ottoman Feminism

ÇAKIR S.

ASPASIA, vol.1, no.1, pp.61-83, 2007 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 1 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2007
  • Doi Number: 10.3167/asp.2007.010104
  • Journal Name: ASPASIA
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Sociological abstracts, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Page Numbers: pp.61-83
  • Keywords: Ottoman Feminism, Turkish Nationalist Modernisation, Feminist History-Writing
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The formation of a feminist consciousness and memory in Turkey coincided with a historical period in which both social movements and academic studies proliferated. Towards the end of the 1980s, the increasing number of women's organisations and publications began to impact upon both the feminist movement and academic research in the area of women's studies. This, combined with the expansion of the civil societal realm, has resulted in many topics and issues related to women becoming part of the public discussion, thereby contributing to the development of a new feminist consciousness. This article discusses the impact of the work in the field of women's history and the ensuing discovery of an Ottoman feminism on the formation of such a feminist consciousness and memory in Turkey.