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Gendering East and West: Transnational Politics of Belonging in the Ottoman Empire and France, 1718-1905

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Gendering East and West: Transnational Politics of Belonging in the Ottoman Empire and France, 1718-1905 Gendering East and West: Transnational Politics of Belonging in the Ottoman Empire and France, 1718-1905 by Ayse Neveser Koker A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) in the University of Michigan 2017 Doctoral Committee: Professor Elizabeth Wingrove, Chair Professor Pamela Brandwein Professor Lisa Disch Professor Fatma Müge Göçek Associate Professor Mika LaVaque-Manty Neveser Koker [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9125-6727 © Neveser Koker 2017 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Eser Köker, whose hard work, perseverance, and courage inspire me every day. “işte bir tanrı evi, kimler ki geçerken uğruyorlar sonra çılgınlar gibi kalabalığa belki de yarı kalmış bir sevgiye koşuyorlar belki de her boyun eğdikleri, her diz çöküş yavaşça bir ihtilal." -Edip Cansever, Robespierre ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation has been in the making since Winter 2011. I feel grateful for all the support I have received throughout this long, challenging, and rewarding process. If it weren’t for the generous and honest mentorship of Elizabeth Wingrove, this dissertation would not have materialized. It is very difficult for me to find the right words to thank her for her time, encouragement, confidence in my abilities, and support. She was a better advocate for my project than I ever could be. Any insights worthy of consideration in this dissertation are the fruits of her diligent feedback on earlier drafts. I also learned a lot from her as a teacher. Her dedication to teaching, advising, and excellence in research is a perpetual inspiration. I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her. I can only hope to become a mentor as exceptional as she is someday. I benefitted immensely from the mentorship of all my committee members who are all exceptional scholars and teachers. Lisa Disch always took the time to talk about my ideas and pushed me to clarify my arguments. Her incisive feedback on my writing taught me not to hide behind jargon. Most importantly, without her energy and encouraging spirit, I wouldn’t have been able to navigate the requirements of the graduate program as efficiently. For all this, I am grateful. Mika LaVaque-Manty taught me to think of writing as a kind of conversation, and always reminded me to maintain a broader perspective on academic life. I was also very fortunate to have him as my teaching mentor; I have learned a lot from his dedication and creative approach to undergraduate iii teaching. Pamela Brandwein encouraged me to think much more carefully about methodological issues underlying transnational and historical research. I cannot express my gratitude for her thoughtful and detailed engagement with my writing. Last, but certainly not least, I could not have hoped for a more supportive mentor than Müge Göçek, whose door was always open - whether it was to discuss research ideas, Turkish politics, or life outside academia. Her approach to academic inquiry and public scholarship is inspiring. This dissertation would not have been possible without the research that she has produced, and the unwavering academic and personal support that she has provided. At the University of Michigan, I also found a wonderfully interdisciplinary intellectual community and without them, I would not have been able to complete this project. Political Theory Workshop was a welcoming, nourishing, and exhilarating space thanks to Mariah Zeisberg, Arlene Saxonhouse, Brendan Wright, Damien Picariello, Erin Baribeau, and Zev Berger. Josh Shipper, Ben Peterson, Justin Williams, Logan Casey, Denise Lillvis, and Chinbo Chong became friends and fellow travelers. Albana Shehaj’s energy and collaborative spirit made me branch out of what at times felt like a “theory bubble.” For this, and for her genuine friendship, I will be forever thankful. I also wish to thank the participants of Multidisciplinary Workshop on Armenian Studies (MWAS), who have read and commented on chapter drafts. In the Department of Women’s Studies, I found a second home. Leela Fernandes’ willingness to work with me on an independent study on gender and comparative politics allowed me to read, and to think more carefully about, transnational feminism(s) and transnational feminist scholarship. During the summer of 2013, I was lucky enough to iv participate in the Community of Scholars (COS) program sponsored by the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG). Without conversations with Hannah Rosen and my COS cohort, Amanda Healy, Marie Stango, Nicole Greer-Golda, Ruth McAdams, Mejdulene Shomali, Jina Kim, Katya Mishuris, Lauren Reed, Matthieu Dupas, and John Gutoskey, the guiding questions and arguments of this project wouldn’t have taken shape. The brilliant and wonderful Amanda Healy took the initiative to start a 19th-century writing group the following semester, and thanks to her, I enjoyed the continued camaraderie of Marie Stango, Katie Lennard, and Lisa Jong. It was comforting to learn that writing didn’t have to be a lonely and solitary process. Without the generous support of the Department of Political Science, Rackham Graduate School, the International Institute, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the transnational archival research necessary for the project. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies allowed me to take much needed time to focus on writing the dissertation. I am convinced that Kathryn Cardenas has a superpower that allows her to solve any problem. I would have been truly lost without her guidance through the administrative maize that is graduate school. Politics and personal life have always been strangely inseparable in my life, and a lot has happened in both since I started working on this dissertation. I would not have been able to survive these past five years without the friendship and love of a few people, and I would like to thank them individually. Although we only met during the department’s orientation session, I feel that Diana Greenwald has been a very close friend for much longer. She was always there for me when I needed to talk, and always understanding when I was unable to think critically or rationally about what was going on v “back home,” in Turkey. Her friendship continues to be invaluable. Likewise, Bonnie Washick helped me get through many difficult moments. In many ways, she was the best friend-mentor one could have hoped for. She is no longer in Ann Arbor, so our dinner dates have been replaced by Skype dates, but her support keeps me going. Dzovinar Derderian introduced me to Akabi Hikâyesi and showed me the way around the Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi in Istanbul. She shared my interests in using gender as a category of analysis in thinking about Ottoman history, and indulged my (non-historian) approach to texts. Her intellectual companionship gets me excited about work; her friendship comforts me. Başak Çandar became my friend and comrade in anti- nationalism, and made Ann Arbor much more livable. Ann Arbor only started feeling like home when I became friends with four incredibly smart and amazingly kind people. Ali Bolcakan is possibly the smartest, the most well-read individual I have ever met. He listened to me ramble on about politics, linguistics and semiotics way too many times, read drafts, formatted bibliographies. Most importantly, he is a kindred spirit whose friendship I cherish deeply. “Dürtme içimdeki narı/üstümde beyaz gömlek var!” Etienne Charrière made me laugh, shared his research with me, and listened to the silliest of my worries even on his busiest days. I cannot find the words to do his generosity and friendship justice. Tuğçe Kayaal has been a rock and a rockstar. I haven’t met a graduate student who is as dedicated to her work and as loyal and supportive to her friends as she is. I am lucky to have met her, and to count her among my best friends. Duygu Ula is my partner-in-crime in becoming a teyze. Not only that, she understands the struggles of being an only child and a Scorpio. Her friendship is vi the closest I have got to having a sister. You all help me keep the poetry, the songs, and the native language alive. Teşekkür ederim. Almost nine years ago, I met a Levantine traveler in Chicago. We have been inseparable since, even though we have lived in different cities and different continents for much of these nine years. Without the unconditional love and support of Abboud Kayyali, I would not have been able to finish this project. I also would not have been introduced to many of the cosmopolitan intellectuals, artists, and revolutionaries I now know and love. I most certainly never would have discovered how much a Levantine I was at heart, how intermingled my sense of self was with the Mediterranean, and how شكرا يا فؤادي! .much music was lacking in my life My biggest supporters throughout this process were my parents, Levent Köker and Eser Köker. They were the first academics I knew, and they inculcated the love of reading, writing, languages, and discussing politics in me. My father, Levent Köker, would not shy away from discussing Grotius, Hobbes, and Locke with me (even when I was in seventh grade!). His command of languages is perpetually inspiring, and I hope to emulate the ease and clarity with which he writes. In the last few years, we have come to frequently exchange notes on articles and books, and I cherish the fact that he treats me like a colleague during those exchanges. My mother, Eser Köker, always pushed me to work harder and to be adventurous. At times, I become thoroughly convinced that she has read every book there is to be read about politics, literature, and feminist theory.
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