Kadın/Woman 2000, Journal for Women's Studies
Kadın/Woman 2000 -Journal for Women's Studies is a publication of Eastern Mediterranean University - Centre for Women's Studies. It is published biannually on June and December and is a multi-disciplinary, peer and blind reviewed, bilingual journal (both Turkish and English) dedicated to the scholarly study of all aspects of women and gender studies..
Eastern Mediterranean University - Center for Women's Studies
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Hilal Özçetin (2024). Ahlakı Giyinmek Türkiye’de Cinsel Ahlak Üzerine Bir Deneme. (Çev. Simten Coşar). İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, ss.130; ISBN-13: 978-605-316-313-8“Ahlakı Giyinmek Türkiye’de Cinsel Ahlak Üzerine Bir Deneme” Kitap İncelemesi
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Gender in Early Childhood Education: Children’s Agency and Risky Teaching
Early childhood education institutions are important social spaces in which gender norms are produced, renegotiated, and, at times, transformed. Grounded in feminist poststructuralist, poststructuralist, and queer theoretical approaches, this critical theoretical review analyzes how gender relations are constructed in early education settings through the lens of the English-language literature. The study conceptualizes children not as passive recipients of gender norms, but as subjects who actively produce and transform these norms through play, spatial practices, discourse, and peer interactions. How the female/male binary is reinforced by children is discussed through the concepts of “doing gender right,” “borderwork,” and “category maintenance”. At the same time, the article demonstrates that children can move beyond normative frameworks and develop alternative positionings. The article also critically analyzes teachers’ biologically determinist discourses and, through the concept of “risky teaching,” discusses the possibilities for questioning gendered and heteronormative norms in early childhood education settings. The study argues that gender in early childhood education is not a fixed phenomenon, but a dynamic process constructed discursively, relationally, and contextually. In this respect, the study reviews existing studies in early childhood education in Turkey that address gender from a feminist poststructuralist and queer perspective, and proposes a research agenda on how these concepts can be further developed within this context.
The Slaughterhouse from a Feminist Perspective: Violence, Labor, and the Backgrounding of Nature
This study analyzes the slaughterhouse, one of the most closed-off spaces of the modern industrial system, as a regime of power in which violence, labor, and nature are institutionally rendered invisible. The main problem addressed is how the spatial and symbolic isolation of production processes in the slaughterhouse affects the generation of social indifference and ethical distancing. The theoretical framework of the study is built upon Val Plumwood’s concept of “backgrounding” (2017) and Carol J. Adams’s notion of the “absent referent” (2013). Within the scope of the analysis, the analysis examines how the slaughterhouse's organizational structure keeps dependent bodies—animals, precarious workers, and ecological elements—at the center of material production while simultaneously marginalizing them on symbolic and ethical levels. Drawing on Timothy Pachirat’s (2011) conceptualization of “ethical distance,” the study examines how the act of killing is rendered routine through technical rationalization and an extreme division of labor. Furthermore, within the frameworks of Joan Tronto’s (1993) “privileged irresponsibility” and Lori Gruen’s (2015) “entangled empathy,” the article demonstrates how the slaughterhouse's technical order suspends the principles of care ethics and creates a space of emotional disconnection. The main findings reveal that the slaughterhouse is not merely a food production facility but a biopolitical space where practices of exploitation intersect along the axes of class, gender, and species. In conclusion, the article defines the slaughterhouse as a structural model of denial in which dependent beings are both exploited and excluded from public recognition, emphasizing the methodological necessity for feminism to develop an intersectional analysis that transcends species boundaries.
Woman’s Identity as a Field of Ontological (In)Security: Populist Discourse and Integrated Threats
The polarizing discourse established by populism between the ‘real people’ and ‘others’ frequently positions gender roles and woman’s identity at the center of a political battleground. Within this framework, this study examines how populist actors construct woman’s identity as a threat while simultaneously instrumentalizing it as a fragile value that must be protected. Ontological security refers to the fundamental trust that individuals and groups place in the stability of their identities and existential continuity. Populist politics, by presenting traditional family structures and gender roles as the cornerstone of national identity, labels women who do not conform to these norms or who challenge them—along with feminist movements—as a ‘threat’. This situation undermines women’s ontological security, as the relevant discourses continually push their identities, self-perceptions, and social roles into a realm of interrogation and insecurity. Integrated Threat Theory provides a significant analytical foundation for understanding this process. Populist discourse encodes women’s demands for emancipation and any movement that questions gender-based power hierarchies as a symbolic threat to the in-group’s (the people’s) values, traditions, and way of life. Stephan and Stephan’s theory elucidates how this perception of symbolic threat fuels prejudice and hostility toward the out-group (progressive women or feminists). This study conducted using purposeful sampling within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis and the Discourse-History Approach, focusing on Hungary, Poland, Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden, reveals that the ontological insecurity engendered by populist politics renders woman’s identity the target of a multilayered threat perception.
The Female Gaze in 19th Century Orientalist Painting: Representation of the Harem and Alternative Narratives
In the 19th century, European women artists, in an effort to reinterpret established images of the Orient through their own direct observations and experiences, visited Ottoman upper-class residences and court harems, translating their impressions into their paintings. In the literature on Orientalist art history, which has generally been shaped around the productions of male artists, the presence of women artists and their unique contributions to this field are of notable significance. The recent visibility gained by the works of these women artists through contemporary research enables a re-evaluation of Orientalist modes of representation from a broader perspective. At the center of this research lies the question of whether the visuality offered by these artists reinforced well-established Orientalist clichés, or whether it pointed toward an alternative reality by deconstructing this discourse. To this end, the study identifies and critically analyzes the works of Henriette Browne, Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, Margaret Murray Cookesley, and Mary Adelaide Walker, who had the privilege of entering the harem during their visits to the Ottoman geography. The analysis reveals that while Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann occasionally reproduced the general visual codes and exotic expectations of Orientalism, Henriette Browne, by contrast, purged the harem of erotized elements, depicting it as a modest living space where daily life unfolded. Furthermore, Mary Adelaide Walker and Henriette Browne tended to portray women as active, working, and music-performing subjects —contrary to the passive and expectant imagery of Orientalism— whereas Margaret Murray Cookesley treated her figures as individuals embodying the virtues of friendship, solidarity, and sisterhood. Consequently, this study demonstrates that alternative female narratives do not constitute a homogeneous unity within themselves; rather, they offer a polyphonic dimension of debate that makes visible the heterogeneous, contradictory, and gender-oriented structure of Orientalist discourse.
Ambiguity in Revolutionary Praxis: Simone de Beauvoir’s Ethics and the "Woman, Life, Freedom" Movement of Iran
This paper examines the Iranian women’s revolutionary revolt of 2022-2026, which is popularly known as the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Zan, Zendegi, Azadî) movement, through Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist ethics, primarily following her works Ethics of Ambiguity (1947) and The Second Sex (1949). I argue that Iranian women’s uprising takes up and actualizes Beauvoir’s central ethical claims regarding ambiguity being the fundamental human condition, intersubjective dimension of freedom, and the moral imperative of collective liberation. By investigating how Iranian women’s resistance demonstrates the crucial distinction between ontological freedom and practical freedom, I present that Beauvoir’s phenomenological insight on the situatedness and its intimate relation to freedom provides an essential framework for understanding the philosophical significance of this revolutionary feminist movement. The paper exposes how the Islamic Republic of Iran exemplifies what Beauvoir terms as “mystified” oppression and analyzes the philosophical dimensions of Iranian women and men’s collective uprising as a concrete enactment of Beauvoirian ethics. Through this analysis I demonstrate that the movement vindicates Beauvoir’s foundational thesis: to will oneself free is to will everyone else free.
A Comparison of Cornelius Castoriadis’s Agora Metaphor and Feminist Perspectives Rejecting the Public-Private Divide
This study examines debates on women’s representation in relation to the public-private sphere through the feminist theoretical slogan “the personal is political,” questioning how the boundaries of the political sphere have been expanded. Feminist theory rejects the public-private divide by arguing that representation should be considered not only at the institutional and parliamentary level, but also through everyday life practices and arrangements within the private sphere. In the article, this critique is linked to discussions of the public sphere, particularly through the metaphor of the agora, which Cornelius Castoriadis reinterprets on the basis of the Ancient Greek experience; for Castoriadis, the agora represents a third space of “encounter” that connects the private and the public, where citizens directly participate in discussing and deciding on public matters. However, the public sphere that Castoriadis explains with reference to Ancient Greece is historically grounded in a political order that excluded women, foreigners, and slaves. Feminist theory therefore goes one step further by questioning to whom and to which issues the public sphere is open. As the Ancient Greek experience also demonstrates, it criticizes the fact that women have been excluded from the public sphere from the very beginning.
The Role of Political Power in the Construction and Transformation of Gender in Türkiye in the Context of the Decision to Withdraw from the Istanbul Convention
Türkiye’s unilateral withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in 2021 was a significant turning point in the evolution of contemporary gender policies, as well as in the relationship between political power, patriarchy and authoritarian governance. Against this backdrop, the article explores how political power exploited the withdrawal as a strategic tool to restructure gender norms and establish a new authoritarian gender regime rooted in neo-traditional public patriarchy. This study adopts a qualitative methodology based on critical discourse analysis, focusing on four main institutional pillars: administrative and moral regulations provided by the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Presidency of Religious Affairs; and ideological legitimisation provided by civil society organisations close to the government, such as KADEM. The study covers a multidimensional body of institutional sources from the 2020-2025 period. The findings suggest that withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention paved the way for the coordinated restructuring of biopolitical control over women, making women’s protection by the state contingent upon their compliance with familial and patriarchal norms. The study reveals that the instrumentalisation of gender has become a key mechanism in consolidating conservative authoritarianism in Türkiye.
Justice and Development Party (Ak Party)
Political Parties of Women’s Suffrage: Two Cases from the Early 20th Century
The early 20th century witnessed the emergence of women’s suffrage political organizations motivated by the first wave of feminism. The National Woman’s Party in the United States (U.S.) and the Women People’s Party in the newly founded Turkish Republic were established as a result of the first wave of feminist movements advocating for women’s suffrage. After suffrage was achieved in the 1920s, women in the U.S. fought for fifty more years to secure passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), while Turkish feminism entered a period of silence and discontinuity from the 1930s to the 1980s. Using a comparative methodology, this article attempts to explore the reasons for this divergence to draw inferences about the future of women’s rights movements. The article compares the two parties in terms of the framework of the movements underpinning the parties, including their campaigning strategies, and the political climates in which they struggled. From this comparison, the study identifies the necessity of mass-reaching movements and a democratic political climate for the survival of women’s rights movements.
Domestic Femicides in the Context of Patriarchal Domination and Gender Relations: A Feminist Analysis
In recent years, the increase in femicides in Türkiye has clearly revealed the continuity of violence against women and the deepening of gender inequalities. Femicides, as one of the most destructive manifestations of violence against women, constitute one of the most visible reflections of the patriarchal order. This study examines, from a feminist perspective, 96 femicides committed within kinship relations in Türkiye between 1 January and 30 June 2025. The research was conducted using a qualitative case study design, and the data were systematically collected and transformed into a data set through document analysis of the anitsayac.com platform and news reported in national media outlets. Through content analysis conducted via the MAXQDA 2024 software, the study evaluated the modes of justification employed for the killings, the proximity relations between perpetrators and victims, and the recurring patterns of expression in witness narratives. It can be stated that, in the majority of the cases, the perpetrator was the woman’s husband or former partner. The most prevalent forms of justification were shaped by the refusal to accept separation/rejection, crises of masculinity and fears of loss of control, as well as patriarchal relations of domination obscured through ambiguous expressions such as incompatibility or arguments. Witness statements gathered from national media sources further demonstrate that violence is frequently individualized and detached from broader social responsibility, thereby contributing to the reproduction of patriarchal structures. The findings of the study indicate that femicides within the family should not be interpreted as isolated or individual acts, but rather as a structural form of violence associated with gender inequality, masculine fragility, and patriarchal mechanisms of control.
Technology and Feminist Posthuman Representations in Cyberfeminist Art
This article aims to analyze artistic productions considered in relation to cyberfeminism—which proposes a feminist politics along the axes of body, identity, and technology—within the framework of feminist posthumanist thought. Positioned in opposition to deterministic gender identities and the domination imposed on the female body and nature, cyberfeminism overlaps with feminist posthumanism in its critique of anthropocentric subjectivity, its challenge to hierarchical relations between human and non-human (animate or inanimate) entities, and its reconstruction of possible relationalities. Both cyberfeminism and feminist posthumanism treat technology as a transformative force and creative apparatus, offering responses to speciesism through frameworks grounded in hybridity and mixed identity formations. Cyberfeminist art is one of the domains where these responses find both concrete and metaphorical expression. In this context, the study examines various artistic practices at the intersection of cyberfeminism and feminist posthumanism, exploring how concepts such as technology, body, gender, and subjectivity are addressed in cyberfeminist art representations. The analysis includes the works of collectives like VNS Matrix, who define themselves as cyberfeminist artists, as well as those of artists such as Lynn Hershman Leeson, ORLAN, and Hito Steyerl, who, though not explicitly adopting the cyberfeminist label, engage with issues central to both cyberfeminism and feminist posthumanism. Supported by the artists' own narratives, their works are analyzed in light of the intersecting points between cyberfeminist art and feminist posthumanism, revealing a shared ground rooted in interspecies relational subjectivities and hybrid identity formations.
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A Critical Examination of Narratives Claiming Angels Cursed Women
The perception of women, religion in the historical process, shaped by the interaction between culture and social structures. Even today, traces of pre-Islamic cultural heritage and traditions can be observed in the formation of this perception in Muslim societies. This historical accumulation continues to have an impact not only on social practices but also on the interpretation of religious teachings. However, the Qur’an considers men and women equal in terms of creation and does not recognize any superiority between them in terms of religious responsibilities and rights. The Prophet's attitudes and practices towards women were based on this principle of equality and developed in harmony with the Qur’anic references. Being “obedient”, which is listed among the characteristics of Muslim women of good character in verse 34 of Surah al-Nisa, is understood as a woman being obedient to her husband. Based on this idea, it has been stated that one of the important duties of a submissive woman is to obey her husband when he calls her to bed. This article aims to investigate the accuracy of this idea by analyzing the sened-text analysis of the narration “When her husband calls her to bed, if she turns away from him, the angels will curse her until the morning when he spends the night angry with his wife.” and by examining how the narration is understood in the commentary books. The conducted chain of transmission (isnad) and textual (matn) analyses reveal that the narrations in question have weak chains of transmission, contain semantic shifts and inconsistencies among their texts, and it has been determined that the interpretations in the classical commentary literature were shaped by a perspective that legitimizes the patriarchal social structure, rather than considering the contextual and historical background.
A Marxist Feminist Analysis: The Play “Âdem’in Kaburga Kemiği” (Adam’s Rib Bone)
In patriarchal societies, the struggle of women, who are often seen as secondary, against the injustices created by the male-dominated system has developed and expanded over time, transforming into a political movement. Feminism, which dates back to the 18th century and refers to women's struggle for equality in economic, cultural, social, and political spheres, has been the subject of study in various fields, particularly the social sciences, up to the present day. The fundamental starting point of Marxist feminism, which came to the fore in the 1960s, is not to oppose the individual, biological, or cultural oppression of women. Marxist feminists criticize the exploitation of women's domestic labor and the tendency for working women to be directed toward low-paying jobs. Drawing its fundamental theory from the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Marxist Feminism is a feminist theory that opposes the exploitation of women, who can be thought of as “proletarians,” by men, who can be thought of as “bourgeois.” According to Marxist feminists, in order to liberate women from being individuals subordinate to men by examining the family within the capitalist system, a socialist and egalitarian system is necessary. The aim of this study is to analyze Ülker Köksal's play “Adam's Rib Bone” (1980), one of the most striking examples of 20th-century Turkish theater, from a Marxist feminist perspective. Köksal's play addresses the exploitation of women's labor within the family and the enslavement of women, gender inequality in domestic roles, and the dominance of male ideology in the public sphere. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the play titled Adam's Rib Bone is a work that supports Marxist ideology and provides significant examples of the destructive effects of masculine ideology on women.
Âdem’in Kaburga Kemiği (Adam’s Rib Bone)
Stalking as a Form of Violence Against Women and Its Representation in Films
Purpose: Stalking is a frequently invisible form of violence against women, often legitimized through romantic myths. In media and popular culture, perpetrators’ behaviors of pursuit, surveillance, and control are commonly framed under themes such as “love” or “jealousy,” which contributes to the normalization of violence and the internalization of unhealthy relationship patterns. This study aims to examine stalking from a multidisciplinary perspective by analyzing its legal dimensions, perpetrator–victim dynamics, and media representations. Methodology: The study employs literature review and qualitative content analysis. It investigates the psychological effects and legal frameworks of stalking and analyzes media portrayals through the productions You, Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir (My Home My Destiny), and Sleeping with the Enemy. Findings: Victims of stalking often experience severe consequences, including heightened anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social withdrawal. Perpetrators typically justify their actions with narratives of “love,” “protection,” or “jealousy,” while victims experience fear and confusion, which may delay help-seeking. In Turkey, stalking was criminalized as a separate offense in 2022, and it is similarly punishable in many other countries. Media analysis shows that in You and Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir, stalking is romanticized, whereas Sleeping with the Enemy depicts it as clearly traumatic and threatening. Discussion: When media romanticizes stalking, the violence becomes invisible and gender inequality deepens. Media representations are not merely reflective but actively shape societal perceptions. Although legal reforms exist in Turkey, subjective interpretations in practice and distorted media portrayals hinder effective victim protection. Conclusion: Stalking is a form of violence with significant consequences. Media producers should avoid framing such behaviors as “love” or “protection,” regulatory authorities should evaluate content with gender sensitivity, and legal practitioners must adopt a victim-centered approach. Media literacy and gender equality education, particularly for young audiences, should be promoted.
Social Communication Through Literacy and Voice of Woman: Representation of Women in Emine Semiye’s Work Terbiye-i Etfale Ait Üç Hikâye (Three Stories on the Education of Children)
Social communication, a form of communication in which the social dimension takes precedence, enables the articulation of societal issues through literature, which was a significant medium in the 19th century. During the Tanzimat period, writers positioned literature as a tool serving the benefit of society and addressed social problems through their works. In this male-dominated literary sphere, Emine Semiye emerged as a writer who engaged with the issue of women in the Ottoman era, expressing her thoughts through various literary forms and positioning literature as a means of social communication. In this period, literature played a crucial role in fostering social communication. Terbiye-i Etfale Ait Üç Hikâye (Three Stories on the Education of Children), serialized in a periodical, was influential in shaping public discourse on women's issues. Although this work has been briefly mentioned in a few theses and articles, examining it from a perspective centered on feminist critique is significant for understanding how the issues of women and the perspectives on women were represented in the 19th century. Based on this premise, the present study aims to contribute to the literature on 19th-century women’s literature through a critical analysis of this work.
Invisible Lives, Visible Strug- gles: A Digital Analysis of Migrant Women in Türkiye
In contemporary society, social media platforms play a pivotal role in connecting individuals with shared experiences, fostering solidarity and support networks. In Türkiye, in particular, these platforms have had a profound impact on the women's rights movement. However, they are equally effective in disseminating misinformation and exacerbating the marginalization of targeted groups. This research aims to examine the media visibility of Ukrainian, Syrian, and Afghan migrant women in Türkiye, as well as their experiences with dehumanization, sexism, and insecurity. The study focuses on the negative impacts of the platform X (formerly known as Twitter), highlighting common and unique challenges faced by these women, and investigates how societal perceptions of migrant women are shaped on digital platforms. Methodologically, the research is grounded in thematic content analysis, employing data from Google Trends and X. In the first phase, Google Trends data from 2021, 2022, and 2023 were analyzed to identify spikes in online searches for these groups using specific keywords. In the second phase, it was observed that commentary on X concerning migrant women correlated with peaks in Google Trends data. In the final phase, the data were subjected to thematic content analysis. This approach seeks to highlight the prevalence of dehumanizing and sexist remarks driven by prejudice made online and to examine how social media platforms shape social perceptions and attitudes toward these groups. This research aims to enhance understanding of migrant women's experiences in Türkiye, focusing on their representation and challenges within the context of social media, while promoting awareness of the narratives shaping societal perceptions. The central finding of the study is that Afghan and Syrian women are predominantly represented through narratives of anti-migrant sentiment and criminalization, whereas Ukrainian women are less associated with migrant hostility but are more frequently subjected to themes of sexualization and exploitation.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, (2023). Erkeğin ve Kadının Dini Babalarımızın İnancı ve Annelerimizin İşi Üzerine Bir Çalışma
Spatial Analysis of Women's Social Status in Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own'
Visions of Raising the Republic in the Province: A Discursive Reading of Childhood, Motherhood, and National Ideals in the Gediz Journal of Early Republican Manisa
Childhood, as a socially constructed category, is shaped by specific cultural, political, and historical contexts, and is neither static nor universal. In many nation-building efforts, including that of early Republican Turkey, it has been redefined as a discursive tool to serve the needs of the regime. This study focuses on how childhood was constructed and what values were ascribed to children in the Western Anatolian town of Manisa. Using thematic and discourse analysis and adopting a micro-historical lens, it examines how the Gediz Journal of the Manisa People’s House (1937–1950) engaged with dominant narratives of childhood. The main findings of the study are as follows: 1) the issue of children in Gediz intersected with broader ideological goals of modernization, nation-building, population politics, and gender roles, and it was articulated in ways that reflected these agendas; 2) Children were depicted as vital assets to the nation-state and imagined as future citizens entrusted with ensuring its continuity; 3) The family and the school emerged as the two primary institutions tasked with this mission, with mothers positioned as the principal nurturers expected to raise the future of the Republic; 4) While the journal localized many topics—such as Manisa’s history, folklore, urban development, and socio-economic concerns—its treatment of children reflected a top-down, state-driven narrative. Emphasis was placed on children’s physical, mental, and moral development to safeguard the Republic’s ideological continuity through the combined efforts of the family, especially mothers, and the state. By centering its analysis on childhood, this article questions the descriptive tendency prevalent in existing scholarship on People’s House publications by focusing specifically on the Gediz journal. It underscores the need for critically engaged and localized readings to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how nation-building, modernity, and gender norms were constructed and disseminated in the early Republican period.
Redefining Women's Entrepreneurship: A Conceptual Comparison with General Entrepreneurship
This study compares the literature on women entrepreneurship and general entrepreneurship, examining the thematic and conceptual differences between the two fields. The analysis includes articles published in English up to 2025 in the Web of Science database. In the women entrepreneurship literature, a total of 5,058 articles and 8,983 keywords were identified, while in the general entrepreneurship literature, 24,038 articles and 31,385 keywords were analyzed. The findings indicate that the women entrepreneurship literature primarily focuses on themes such as gender, empowerment, social capital, and social entrepreneurship. In contrast, the general entrepreneurship literature encompasses broader themes, including innovation, entrepreneurship education, institutional structures, and economic growth. While concepts like empowerment, social entrepreneurship, and intersectionality are prominent in the women entrepreneurship literature, the general entrepreneurship literature emphasizes innovation, institutions, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The findings of this study provide a crucial foundation for understanding the unique challenges and opportunities of women entrepreneurs while underscoring the need for a more inclusive perspective in general entrepreneurship literature. These differences highlight the importance of integrating the two fields for a more balanced and inclusive understanding of entrepreneurship. Future research is recommended to ensure greater representation of women entrepreneurship in the general entrepreneurship literature and to foster mutual enrichment between the two fields.
The Representation of Motherhood in Netflix Series: The Case of the Maid and Who Were We Running From
This study, arguing that motherhood/mothering is a political act, analyzes two Netflix productions centered on the theme. To analyze the representation of mothering/motherhood, it applies Fiona Joy Green’s (2020) three central concepts within feminist mothering: oppose the institution of motherhood, view mothering as an empowered and political act, and practice matroreform. The method of this study is Feminist Close Reading, which allows for a comparative analysis of whose narratives will be prioritized, amplifying the voices of marginalized perspectives across various traditions. The research focusing on Netflix delivering duplicate content to a large audience across different countries demonstrates that these productions do not romanticize motherhood, impose outdated gender roles, or define women solely through their familial roles. Instead, they reveal that the mothers in these narratives resist societal norms, representing women characters striving to fulfill their authentic identities and stay true to themselves.
Black Female as the “Transient Woman”: Anzalduan and Bhabhaian Construction of Subjectivity in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
In her Female Subjectivity in African American Women’s Narratives of Enslavement: Beyond Borders (2009), Lynnette D. Myles conceptualizes Black female subjectivity as an intersubjective act that actively challenges and transforms oppositional views and fixed notions of identity and defines it as the “Transient Woman.” The Transient Woman is a fluid consciousness that moves— in and out, back and forth, —in in-between places toward subjectivity rupturing various forms of Otherness. It is not a close-ended paragon, but rather a beginning of a new consciousness with which the Black woman talks back to the stereotypical images—either sexless or wanton, evil, stubborn, hateful, dependent, and living for others—of Black womanhood prevalent in cultural imagination and textual presentation. By drawing on Anzaldúa’s concept of the “New Mestiza” consciousness and Bhabha’s theory of the “Third Space,” Myles posits that the Transient Woman embodies a new form of consciousness—one that empowers Black women to transform from unconscious objects to deliberate, and active forces within hegemonic society. This paper argues that in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), Maya Angelou presents self-consciousness as a developmental journey toward self-actualization, which begins in a state of unconsciousness and gradually evolves into a new, autonomous awareness. Furthermore, it contends that by navigating the challenges of identities within the Third Space and embracing a fluid, dynamic subjectivity, the autobiographical Maya emerges as the “Transient Woman.”
Empowering Urban Women in Indonesia: The Role of Social Media in Maternal, Economic, and Civic Participation
The rapid advancement of digital technology, particularly social media, has transformed the socio-economic landscape for urban women in Indonesia. This study examines the role of social media in maternal, economic, and civic empowerment, focusing on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube. Through a qualitative descriptive approach, indepth interviews with women in Jakarta and surrounding areas reveal how social media fosters self-awareness, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. The findings indicate that social media facilitates access to critical information on parenting, health, and financial management, enhances women's participation in digital entrepreneurship, and strengthens their engagement in civic advocacy and activism. However, the study also highlights challenges, including misinformation, cyber harassment, and algorithmic biases, which can limit the full realization of digital empowerment. The research contributes to theoretical discussions on digital inclusion and gender media serves as both an enabler and a constraint in women's self-empowerment journeys. It underscores the importance of digital literacy, policy interventions, and platform accountability to ensure equitable and safe digital participation for women. The study calls for targeted government and private sector initiatives to enhance online safety, support women-led businesses, and promote digital education. By addressing these issues, social media can continue to be a transformative force for gender equity and women's empowerment in Indonesia.
Information and communication technology
Gender Inequality in Subjective Well-Being and Time Use from Tourism Perspective: Analysis with TOPSIS and MOORA Methods
Although the tourism sector offers significant opportunities for women's participation in the labor market, the mostly seaso-nal, low-paid and precarious nature of employment in the sector risks reinforcing gender inequalities. In tourism, women are often employed in labor-intensive jobs with flexible but demanding working conditions, which has significant effects on both time use and subjective well-being. This study aims to contribute to the literature by examining how inequalities in tourism employment affect individuals' time use practices, subjective well-being and worklife balance in a multidimensional framework. In this context, women's and men's time use, subjective assessment of well-being and gender-based employment differences are analyzed comparatively across OECD countries. Using TOPSIS and MOORA methods, countries were ranked according to the selected indicators and comparisons were made. The results of the analysis show that Latvia, Luxembourg, Estonia, Denmark findings suggest that these countries have a more gender-balanced structure in both employment structures and time use practices, which positively affects subjective well-being. The findings also show that while tourism employment offers opportunities for women, it also leads to various inequalities, which directly affect time management and subjective well-being, more clearly than in the last-ranked countries. By systematically and comprehensively revealing the potential of tourism to promote gender equality, as well as the limitations to realizing this potential through multi-criteria analysis, the study makes an original contribution to the existing body of literature.
Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques.
Gender in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Cinema: A Qualitative Analysis of "Winter Sleep"
Motion pictures, as objects of sociological inquiry, constitute a significant field of cultural production for examining the construction, reproduction, and representation of gender, primarily due to their capacity to reach broad audiences. In this con-text, the present study aims to explore the phenomenon of gender through an analysis of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's film Winter Sleep. Employing document analysis—a qualitative research method—the study utilizes the Gender Phenomenon Analysis Form to systematically examine representations of gender roles about themes such as occupational choices, spatial positioning, daily life practices, and personality traits of the film's characters. The findings indicate that female characters are predominantly portrayed as individuals excluded from decision making processes, with limited agency in both social and spatial contexts. In contrast, male characters are constructed around notions of power, authority, and intellectual superiority, occupying more central and dominant positions within the narrative. By addressing how gender perceptions are constructed and perpetuated through cinematic discourse, this study seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of gender dynamics and foster critical awareness of gender representations in film.
Reflection of Gender Roles on Cinema Through The Movie “Lohusa”
Motherhood, childbirth, and caregiving are social phenomena shaped by the genderbased division of labor, determining, reproducing, and justifying many norms that define women's position. From this perspective, this study aims to analyze the film "Lohusa," released in 2023, through topics related to gender. "Lohusa," a comedy watched by a total of 2,128,245 people in cinemas, can be defined as a woman's film, but while it questions the naturalized roles of motherhood and caregiving on one hand, it also serves to naturalize and reproduce the position of motherhood on the other. In this sense, while cinema, as a product of the cultural industry, fulfills the function of approving the existing order, it can also bring to the agenda social issues and phenomena that are not often addressed in popular culture products. Therefore, cinema can be defined as an influential popular culture product with both justifying and transformative power. In the study, using the content analysis method, specific themes were identified from the film, and through these themes, the topics of motherhood, fatherhood, and caregiving within the framework of the genderbased division of labor were analyzed in detail. As a result, although the film "Lohusa" is significant for addressing a topic that has not been widely explored in Turkish cinema from a female perspective, it remains superficial in its approach and lacks depth in defining and addressing the topic as a social issue. Additionally, the film fails to break free from justifying and reproducing certain characteristics attributed to women and men related to gender roles.
Gender, Space, and Women’s Entrepreneurship: A Case Study in Kadıköy, Istanbul (2018–2023)
This study explores the evolving dynamics of women’s entrepreneurship in Kadıköy, Istanbul between 2018 and 2023, focusing on how structural inequalities, spatial context, and socio-economic crises shape women’s entrepreneurial trajectories. Based on two rounds of in-depth interviews with thirteen women entrepreneurs, the research highlights the persistent challenges posed by limited institutional support, gendered expectations, and economic volatility, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent inflationary period. While entrepreneurship is often framed as a pathway to empowerment, the findings show that it simultaneously reproduces precarity through unpaid care responsibilities, gendered moral norms, and spatially contingent access to opportunities. Women’s strategies of resilience such as resource-sharing and adapting business models, reflect individual ingenuity, but also reveal the lack of systemic support for gender-equitable entrepreneurship. The study emphasizes the importance of intersectional and place-based approaches to understanding how gender, class, and space interact to shape entrepreneurial agency in neoliberal and patriarchal contexts.
Gender Equality in Politics: Women's Representation from International to Local Dynamics
This study examines the role of women in politics by analyzing the underlying reasons for their exclusion, with a particular focus on local politics. As in many parts of the world, women's participation in politics in Turkey remains constrained, and gender equality in political representation is yet to be fully realized. Although women's visibility in political spheres has increased in recent years, significant disparities persist. Notably, women’s participation rates in local politics are even lower than in national politics. Within a predominantly male-dominated political arena, women remain less visible at the local level, limiting their capacity to influence the structural dynamics of local governance. Grounded in this premise, the study first explores the structural and sociopolitical challenges that hinder women’s engagement in politics. It then presents an empirical analysis of women's representation and participation in local politics using contemporary data. To contextualize these findings, the study situates Turkey’s gendered political landscape within a comparative global framework. In doing so, it seeks to elucidate the structural mechanisms that shape local political dynamics in Turkey and critically examines the marginalization of women in this sphere. Furthermore, the study analyzes the implications of the 2024 local elections for women's political representation. While the elections marked an increase in the electoral success of female candidates, the persistent structural barriers within local politics continue to restrict women’s access to political representation and participation. Despite these limitations, the study provides a detailed examination of women’s representation in the 2024 local elections, with a specific focus on metropolitan, provincial, and district mayoralties.
The Institutionalization Adventure of Women's Studies in the Academy: An Evaluation of Research Centers, Academic Journals and Graduate Programs
The process that started with the “Women's Problems Application and Research Center” established in 1989 at Istanbul University, which is considered as the milestone of the institutionalization of women's studies in Turkey, is one of the first manifestations of an academic positioning that has become quite widespread today. A number of international and local dynamics played an important role in calling for and encouraging the institutionalization of academic feminism in Turkey. Institutionalization practices led by women's studies centers in universities are primarily seen in the opening of graduate programs that include interdisciplinary departments based on women's studies and the establishment of peer-reviewed academic journals whose publishers are mostly universities and women's studies centers. Academic feminism, which is realized through these practices, has undergone change and transformation in the context of different variables from past to present. This study is based on the question “what are the factors, dynamics and components that play a role in the institutionalization of women's studies in academia?”. Accordingly, the subject of this study is the dynamics that enable the institutionalization of women's studies in academia and the current position of these dynamics. The aim of the study is to discuss the impact of women's studies centers, graduate programs and academic journals, which are considered to be a strong basis for the institutionalization of women's studies in universities, which started to be effective in Turkish academia especially after the 1990s and which constitute the academic interest of many academics today, with the conjunctural structures of the historical process. Although there are studies on the institutionalization of academic feminism and women's studies in the literature, these studies have mostly analyzed institutionalization experiences by limiting them to research centers.
Women's Studies Research and Application Centers
The Birth of the “Woman Question” in Azerbaijan in the 19th Century
The article examines the emergence of the “woman question” in Azerbaijan during the 19th century. After establishing the research concept and analysing the relevant literature, the topic is discussed in two sections. The first section examines the daily traditional lives of Caucasian Turkic women, while the second section analyses the changes and transformations of Turkic women during the Tsarist period. A retrospective analysis of the literature on the subject revealed that the problem emerged simultaneously with social and cultural needs. Azerbaijani intellectuals, who espoused the principle of creating an intellectually developed nation, posited that this goal could be achieved through educated women. Aware of the difficulties in educating and developing women who were confined to the home in the traditional patriarchal society, these intellectuals both acknowledged the existence of the women's problem and initiated efforts to establish special schools for girls with the aim of addressing it. As a consequence of these endeavours, a new generation of conscious and educated women emerged in the new century.