Activism and Women's NGOs in Turkey: Civil Society, Feminism and Politics

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Description

Civil society is often seen as male, structured in a way that excludes women from public and political life. Much feminist scholarship sees civil society and feminism as incompatible a result. But scholars and activists are currently trying to update this view by looking at womens positions in civil society and womens activism. This book contributes to this new research, arguing that civil society is a contested terrain where women can negotiate and successfully challenge dominant discourses in society. The book is based on interviews with women activists from ten womens organizations in Turkey. Foregrounding the voices of women, the book answers the question "How do womens NGOs contribute to civil society in the Middle East. At a time when civil society is being promoted and institutionalised in Turkey, particularly by the EU, this book demonstrates that womens organisations can help achieve womens emancipation, even if there are significant differences in their approaches and ideas.

Reviews

This is an interesting, insightful and original contribution to the study of Turkish civil society and the womens movement in particular, applying feminist perspectives and discourse analysis. The empirical data is rich and robust, employed shrewdly in support of the key arguments. * Markus Ketola, Research Director, Ulster University, Northern Ireland *

Author Bio

Asuman zgr Keysan is based at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey as a part-time instructor in the Gender and Women's Studies Programme. She holds a PhD in the Department of Government and Public Policy from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland.