DOCSLIB.ORG

A Reading of Sexual Morality in Turkey

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Dressing Up Ahlak: A Reading of Sexual Morality in Turkey by Hilal Ozcetin M.A., Central European University, 2006 B.A., Baskent University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the DeGree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of SocioloGy and AnthropoloGy Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Hilal Ozcetin 2015 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2015 Approval Name: Hilal Ozcetin Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title: Dressing Up Ahlak: A Reading of Sexual Morality in Turkey Examining Committee: Chair: Wendy Chan Professor Dany Lacombe Senior Supervisor Professor Parin Dossa Supervisor Professor Simten Cosar Supervisor Professor Faculty of Communication, Hacettepe University Cindy Patton Internal Examiner Professor Department of SocioloGy and AnthropoloGy Sedef Arat-Koc External Examiner Associate Professor Department of Politics and Public Administration Ryerson University Date Defended/Approved: December 3, 2015 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract This dissertation analyzes sexual morality discourse throuGh a readinG of dressed female bodies in Turkey. It explores how sexual morality (ahlak) is shaped by Islamist and secularist discourses in Turkey and the ways in which ahlak (morality) imposes control mechanisms over women’s bodies in Turkey. The thesis arGues that even thouGh secularist and Islamist discourses are seen in a dualistic framework, the patriarchal sexual moralities they impose on the bodies of women are not binary oppositions. Both utilize dress as a technology of the body to conceal female sexual bodies and regulate the visibility of women in public space. However, as a result of the different ways in which sexual moral norms are inhabited, these two discourses are perceived as oppositional. Thirty-one interviews were conducted with women involved in women’s movements in Istanbul and Ankara (Turkey) in 2010. The data analysis suggests that the sexual morality that aims at hidinG the female sexual body throuGh dress constrains the mobility and freedom of women in public spaces in Turkey. The study also shows that sexual morality has been maintained throuGh state surveillance (such as laws and reGulations on public morality and on dress) and throuGh the public gaze (such as the judGinG Gaze, sexual harassment and violence). Yet, the analysis of the sexual violence cases in regards to sexual morality and dress point out that sexual morality has become more conservative as a result of the increased conservatism in politics in the last decade. While this analysis shows sexual morality to be a disciplinary discourse and a practice producing ‘docile bodies’, it also reveals that women are not passively subjected to this morality. Women fashion different modalities of aGencies that reveal various ways of livinG, embodying, as well as subvertinG and challenGinG the norms of sexual morality in Turkey. Keywords: Dress; Sexuality; Women; Ahlak; AGency; Turkey iv Dedication To my mother and sister v Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Dany Lacombe for her Guidance and support without which I would not have been able to finalize this dissertation. I am also thankful to my committee members Dr. Parin Dossa and Dr. Simten Cosar, for Generously committinG time and enerGy to provide valuable comments and encouragement. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Sedef Arat-Koc and Dr. Cindy Patton for their part in the examination of this dissertation and moreover suggesting interesting directions for the future of this research topic. I had the Great fortune of havinG dear friends who have helped me along this journey. Thank you dear Efe Peker, Sule Yaylaci, Didem TurkoGlu, Nil Mutluer, Esin Gozukara, Onur Bakiner, Pinar Gurleyen and Serbulent Turan Sibel Eranil, Efe Can Gurcan, Ataman Avdan, Aazadeh Madani, and Carla Winston for toleratinG me durinG harder times as well as your friendship and support over the years. Thank you little Daphne YaGmur Turan for cheerinG me up without fail. Special thanks also to Hulya Arik, Alp Biricik, Soudeh Jamshidian, Gulay Ayyildiz and Kemal Yigitcan, who were inteGral to this journey. Thank you for your enthusiastic support and fantastic company. A very special thanks to Mike ChianG who came into my life durinG the writinG period and helped me in every way possible through stressful times. His unconditional love, encouraGement and friendship made it possible to finish this dissertation. I thank my beloved mother Yuksel Sevim Baysin, and sister Bihter Ozcetin Yazlik who have supported me in various ways when I am in need. I am Grateful for their encouragement and faith in me. Thank you my dear niece Esin for brinGinG joy and lauGhter to my life. I will be forever Grateful to my late Grandmother Ayse Ozcetin and late aunt SenGul Ayyildiz for instillinG in me the desire to pursue my own Goals; I will always miss them. Last but not least, much appreciation to my brother-in-law Serkan Yazlik and extended family for their unwavering confidence in me. vi I owe my deepest Gratitude to the women who shared their time and stories with me. I would like to thank for their time and cordiality. vii Table of Contents Approval ................................................................................................................ ii Ethics Statement ................................................................................................... iii Abstract ................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ............................................................................................................. v AcknowledGements .............................................................................................. vi Table of Contents ................................................................................................ viii List of Acronyms .................................................................................................... x Glossary ............................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................... 1 1.1. Field Research and Method ......................................................................... 7 1.2. OrGanization of the Dissertation ................................................................. 12 Chapter 2. Theoretical Background ............................................................. 18 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 18 2.2. Key Themes and Concepts ........................................................................ 19 2.3. Sexuality and Morality ................................................................................ 24 2.4. Sexuality and morality throuGh dress in Muslim Societies .......................... 27 2.5. Brief Review of Fashion Studies ................................................................. 33 2.6. Morality, Sexuality and Gendered Body throuGh Dress .............................. 39 2.7. Feminist Approaches on the Body and Fashion ......................................... 42 2.8. ReGulation of Dress in Gendered Spatial Context ...................................... 46 2.9. The Study of Ahlak and Dressed Bodies: Brief Notes on MethodoloGy ..... 51 Chapter 3. Gendered Moral Bodies: The Analysis of the Female Body in Secularist and Islamist Political Discourses ............................ 54 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 54 3.2. Women in the Republic of Turkey .............................................................. 57 3.3. Dress Reform: Modern ‘Asexual’ Bodies .................................................... 61 3.4. The Quiet Years: Women in Turkey from 1945 to 1980 ............................. 72 3.5. The Invisible Becomes Visible: The Rise of Islamist Movements and the Headscarf ‘Question’ .................................................................................. 77 3.6. State Surveillance: The Secular Gaze of State over Women’s Bodies ...... 82 3.7. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 90 Chapter 4. The Socio-Political Discourses of Sexual Morality: Disciplined Bodies .......................................................................................... 94 4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 94 4.2. ChoosinG the Dress: The EmerGinG Themes ............................................. 96 4.2.1. Casual Dress versus Hanım Hanımcık Dress ............................... 96 4.2.2. Sexualized and Desexualized Bodies ......................................... 102 4.3. The Politics of Dress ................................................................................. 107 4.3.1. Dressed Bodies in the 1960s and 1970s ..................................... 107 viii 4.3.2. Moral Muslim Bodies ................................................................... 112 4.4. Violence aGainst Women: “Provocative” Dress ........................................ 119 4.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 123 Chapter 5. Space, Dress and Sexual Morality ........................................... 125 5.1. Introduction
Recommended publications
  • Explaining the Institutional Capacity of State

    Explaining the Institutional Capacity of State

    Explaining The Institutional Capacity Of State Feminism In A Non-Western Setting: A Case Study of the Malaysian Women’s Policy Agency A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2015 RABI’AH BINTI AMINUDIN SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Department of Politics Table of Contents FIGURES AND TABLES ................................................................................ 7 FIGURES AND TABLES ................................................................................ 8 LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................... 9 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. 12 DECLARATION ............................................................................................ 13 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ......................................................................... 14 DEDICATION ............................................................................................... 15 ACKNOWLEDGMENT ................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .............................................................. 17 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................18 RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................25 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ..........................................................................26
  • SEX WORK and FEMINISM

    SEX WORK and FEMINISM

    SEX WORK and FEMINISM a guide on the feminist principles of sex worker organizing Contents IntroduCtIon 1 Common mIsConCeptIons about femInIsm 2 a glossary of femInIst termInology 4 a brIef look at femInIst aCtIvIsm In the CeeCa regIon 9 feminism under state socialism and communism 9 feminist activism after the collapse of the soviet union 10 rise of anti-trans and anti-sex work feminists 12 abolItIonIst dIsCourses and Counter arguments 14 the femInIst Ideals of sex worker organIzIng 18 IntroduCtIon The last decade saw increasing attacks against sex worker communities globally, not only from governments and political actors but also from abolitionist feminist activists. While governments chose to tackle “the issue of prostitution” through punitive, rather than social measures by directly criminalizing sex workers, or indirectly punishing them by offences of drug use and possession, homelessness, hooliganism or vagrancy, aboitionist feminists mobilized and lobbied for the introduction of the criminalization of clients (also known as the Swedish Model). This model criminalizes the purchase of sexual services, at the same time it pushes sex workers into clandestine working environments, exposing them to health risks and violence.1 In Central-Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA), similar abolitionist proposals so far have not reached legislative levels, but public debates surrounding sex work have intensifed. In the region, abolitionist feminists might not have very close ties to governments (yet), however, they shape public opinion through their platforms and media connections, and frequently (cyber-)bully sex worker rights activists. In order to prepare its membership for potential abolitionist campaigns, the Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN) initiated conversations with its members on topics related to sex work and feminism.
  • TOWARD a FEMINIST THEORY of the STATE Catharine A. Mackinnon

    TOWARD a FEMINIST THEORY of the STATE Catharine A. Mackinnon

    TOWARD A FEMINIST THEORY OF THE STATE Catharine A. MacKinnon Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England K 644 M33 1989 ---- -- scoTT--- -- Copyright© 1989 Catharine A. MacKinnon All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America IO 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 First Harvard University Press paperback edition, 1991 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data MacKinnon, Catharine A. Toward a fe minist theory of the state I Catharine. A. MacKinnon. p. em. Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN o-674-89645-9 (alk. paper) (cloth) ISBN o-674-89646-7 (paper) I. Women-Legal status, laws, etc. 2. Women and socialism. I. Title. K644.M33 1989 346.0I I 34--dC20 [342.6134} 89-7540 CIP For Kent Harvey l I Contents Preface 1x I. Feminism and Marxism I I . The Problem of Marxism and Feminism 3 2. A Feminist Critique of Marx and Engels I 3 3· A Marxist Critique of Feminism 37 4· Attempts at Synthesis 6o II. Method 8 I - --t:i\Consciousness Raising �83 .r � Method and Politics - 106 -7. Sexuality 126 • III. The State I 55 -8. The Liberal State r 57 Rape: On Coercion and Consent I7 I Abortion: On Public and Private I 84 Pornography: On Morality and Politics I95 _I2. Sex Equality: Q .J:.diff�_re11c::e and Dominance 2I 5 !l ·- ····-' -� &3· · Toward Feminist Jurisprudence 237 ' Notes 25I Credits 32I Index 323 I I 'li Preface. Writing a book over an eighteen-year period becomes, eventually, much like coauthoring it with one's previous selves. The results in this case are at once a collaborative intellectual odyssey and a sustained theoretical argument.
  • The Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence Against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005 MALA HTUN University of New Mexico S

    The Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence Against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005 MALA HTUN University of New Mexico S

    American Political Science Review Vol. 106, No. 3 August 2012 doi:10.1017/S0003055412000226 The Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005 MALA HTUN University of New Mexico S. LAUREL WELDON Purdue University ver the past four decades, violence against women (VAW) has come to be seen as a violation of human rights and an important concern for social policy. Yet government action remains O uneven. Some countries have adopted comprehensive policies to combat VAW, whereas others have been slow to address the problem. Using an original dataset of social movements and VAW policies in 70 countries over four decades, we show that feminist mobilization in civil society—not intra-legislative political phenomena such as leftist parties or women in government or economic factors like national wealth—accounts for variation in policy development. In addition, we demonstrate that autonomous movements produce an enduring impact on VAW policy through the institutionalization of feminist ideas in international norms. This study brings national and global civil society into large-n explanations of social policy, arguing that analysis of civil society in general—and of social movements in particular—is critical to understanding progressive social policy change. iolence against women is a global problem. Re- is widely seen as a question of fundamental human search from North America, Europe, Africa, rights. Many national governments and international VLatin America, the Middle East, and Asia organizations have adopted a wide variety of measures has found astonishingly high rates of sexual assault, to address VAW, including legal reform, public educa- stalking, trafficking, violence in intimate relationships, tion campaigns, and support for shelters and rape crisis and other violations of women’s bodies and psy- centers.
  • Teaching Intersectionality

    Teaching Intersectionality

    Teaching Intersectionality Teaching Teaching Intersectionality: Putting Gender in the Centre How to deal with gender, women, gender roles, feminism and gender equality in teaching practices? The ATHENA thematic network brings together specialists in women’s and gender studies, feminist research, women’s rights, gender equality and diversity. In the book series ‘Teaching with Gender’ the partners in this network have collected articles on a wide range of teaching practices in the field of gender. The books in this series address challenges and possibilities of teaching about women and gender in a wide range of educational contexts. The authors discuss pedagogical, theoretical and political dimensions of learning and teaching on women and gender. The books in this series contain teaching material, reflections on feminist pedagogies, practical discussions about the development of gender- sensitive curricula in specific fields. All books address the crucial aspects of education in Europe today: increasing international mobility, growing importance of interdisciplinarity and the many practices of life-long learning and training that take place outside the traditional programmes of higher education. These books will be indispensable tools for educators who take serious the challenge of teaching with gender. (for titles see inside cover) Martha Franken, Alison Woodward, Anna Cabó, and Barbara M. Bagilhole Martha Alison Woodward, Franken, The concept of intersectionality is at the heart of debates about the future of equality policies in Europe. How do different identities interact and affect the opportunities for individuals and groups in society? Public policy used to focus on one or another aspect of equality, such as gender, sexual orientation or physical abilities.
  • Turkish President's Visit

    Turkish President's Visit

    THE JAPAN TIMES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015 5 Turkish president‘s visit Building Turkey-Japan Biography of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Recep Tayyip Erdogan was born in Istanbul which was recommended by the National on Feb. 26, 1954. He graduated from Marma- Education Ministry and published by a state ra University’s Faculty of Economics and Ad- agency, being sentenced to prison for read- partnership for the future ministrative Sciences in 1981. ing it, ending his time as mayor. Since his youth, Erdogan has chosen to in- After serving four months in prison, he es- tertwine his social life with politics. From tablished the Justice and Development Party. Both key and in uential players among the top 20 economies of 1969 to 1982, he was also actively interested Erdogan, who was not a candidate for MP in their regions, Turkey and the world, Turkey became a in football, which taught him the signifi cance during the elections in Nov. 3, 2002, joined the Japan are enjoying warm rela- magnet for foreign investments, of teamwork. These years coincided with the deputy renewal election held on March 9, tions on every level, thanks to the as $145 billion dollars of foreign time when the idealistic young Erdogan 2003, in Siirt. Taking 85 percent of the vote, he vision and farsightedness of their direct investment (FDI) poured began to be interested in social and national became a deputy from Siirt for the 22nd term. leaders, H.E. President of Turkey inars all over Japan, ISPAT led into the country over a period problems and stepped into politics.
  • Turkish Foreign Policy and Strategic Partnership in Asia-Pacific

    Turkish Foreign Policy and Strategic Partnership in Asia-Pacific

    TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN ASIA-PACIFIC A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY HYUNSOO YOON IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OCTOBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of SociAl Sciences Prof. Dr. YAşAr KONDAKÇI Director I certify that this thesis sAtisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of MAster of Science/Arts / Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. OktAy F. TANRISEVER HeAd of Department This is to certify that we have reAd this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully Adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of MAster of Science/Arts/Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. OktAy F. TANRISEVER Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Çınar ÖZEN (ANKARA U, IR) Prof. Dr. OktAy F. TANRISEVER (METU, IR) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zerrin TORUN (METU, IR) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. NAme, LAst name: Hyunsoo Yoon Signature: iii ABSTRACT TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN ASIA-PACIFIC Yoon, Hyunsoo MAster, Department of International Relations Supervisor: Prof. Dr. OktAy F. TAnrısever October 2019, 117 pages This thesis Analyses Turkish foreign policy towArds AsiA-PAcific by focusing on the diplomAtic, economic And cultural Aspects.
  • The Politics of Injustice: Sex-Working Women, Feminism and Criminalizing

    The Politics of Injustice: Sex-Working Women, Feminism and Criminalizing

    CRJ0010.1177/1748895817743285Criminology & Criminal JusticeMcGarry and FitzGerald 743285research-article2017 View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive Library Article Criminology & Criminal Justice 2019, Vol. 19(1) 62 –79 The politics of injustice: Sex- © The Author(s) 2017 Article reuse guidelines: working women, feminism sagepub.com/journals-permissions https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895817743285DOI: 10.1177/1748895817743285 and criminalizing sex purchase journals.sagepub.com/home/crj in Ireland Kathryn McGarry Maynooth University, Ireland Sharron A FitzGerald Tilburg University, The Netherlands Abstract This article interrogates the discursive framing of recent law and policy debates on criminalizing sex purchase in Ireland and the implications this has for sex workers’ political voice. Drawing on Nancy Fraser’s work on the political dimensions of justice, we look at how Irish neo-abolitionists, through their Turn Off the Red Light (TORL) campaign, map and delimit access to political space and consequently misframe, misrecognize and misrepresent the ‘problem’ of sex work and sex-working women. We employ the methodological framework suggested by Carol Bacchi’s What’s the Problem Represented to Be (WPR) approach to explore how TORL campaigners exercise and manage frame- setting in law and policy contexts to deny all ‘other’ voices parity of participation in political space. We argue these misframing strategies reflect meta-political injustices of misrepresentation. Keywords Discourse, justice, law, policy, radical feminism, sex work Introduction One task for critical theory is to render visible the ways in which societal inequality infects formally inclusive existing public spheres and taints discursive interaction within them.
  • Exploring the Transformative Essence of Intellectual Feminism in Africa

    Exploring the Transformative Essence of Intellectual Feminism in Africa

    Open Political Science, 2021; 4: 126–135 Research Article Al Chukwuma Okoli* Exploring the Transformative Essence of Intellectual Feminism in Africa: Some Contributions of Amina Mama https://doi.org/10.1515/openps-2021-0013 received October 21, 2020; accepted January 14, 2021. Abstract: The paper seeks to explore the transformative essence of intellectual feminism in Africa, with particular reference to the contributions of Amina Mama. Following textual and contextual exegeses of works by or on the focal scholar-activist, as well as insights drawn on extant literature on aspects of her gender/feminist engagements/ scholarship, the paper posits that Amina Mama has made significant transformative contributions in various sites of intellectual feminism, especially in the areas of intellectual resourcing, academic leadership and mentoring, as well as strategic scholarly activism/advocacy. Among other things, the study intends to set an agenda on how to effectively link feminist scholarship to practice in an effort to mainstreaming social transformation in Africa. Keywords: Amina Mama, feminism, intellectual feminism, social transformation, transformational feminism 1 Introduction Feminism is a social belief system or movement dedicated to the emancipation of women from cultural and structural and allied inhibitions of the patriarchal world. It refers to “a complex set of political ideologies used by the women’s movement to advance the cause of women’s equality and put to an end to sexist theory and practice of social oppression” (Ngwainmbi, 2004: 95). As conceived by Mama (cited in Encyclopedia.com, 2018) “Feminism is broadly defined as the struggle for the liberation of women, and encompasses epistemologies, methodologies, theories, and modes of activism that seek to bring an end to the oppression and subordination of women by men”.
  • Turkey COI Compilation 2020

    Turkey COI Compilation 2020

    Turkey: COI Compilation August 2020 BEREICH | EVENTL. ABTEILUNG | WWW.ROTESKREUZ.AT ACCORD - Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation Turkey: COI Compilation August 2020 The information in this report is up to date as of 30 April 2020, unless otherwise stated. This report serves the specific purpose of collating legally relevant information on conditions in countries of origin pertinent to the assessment of claims for asylum. It is not intended to be a general report on human rights conditions. The report is prepared within a specified time frame on the basis of publicly available documents as well as information provided by experts. All sources are cited and fully referenced. This report is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Every effort has been made to compile information from reliable sources; users should refer to the full text of documents cited and assess the credibility, relevance and timeliness of source material with reference to the specific research concerns arising from individual applications. © Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD An electronic version of this report is available on www.ecoi.net. Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD Wiedner Hauptstraße 32 A- 1040 Vienna, Austria Phone: +43 1 58 900 – 582 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.redcross.at/accord TABLE OF CONTENTS List of abbreviations...................................................................................................................

  • Sex Work and Women's Movements.Pdf

    SEX WOrK wOMEN'S & mOvEmENts SVATI P. SHAH SEX WOrK wOMEN'S & mOvEmENts SVATI P. SHAH, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Acknowledgements This publication is a part of CREA’s program initiative “Count Me In! Addressing Violence Against Marginalized Women in South Asia” supported by the Dutch Ministry’s MDG3 Fund. The Count Me In! initiative aims to address the stark gender inequalities that persist in South Asia. This publication was commissioned by CREA as a resource for a meeting entitled ‘Ain’t I A Woman? A Global Dialogue between the Sex Workers’ Rights Movement and the Stop Violence against Women Movement’ held from 12-14 March 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. This meeting, with key stakeholders within these movements, has informed the framing of the issues and strategies being dealt with in the Count Me In! Initiative and is part of the evolving work that CREA is doing on violence against marginalised women The author, Svati Shah is an Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Shah’s work has been published in a range of scholarly and progressive journals, including Gender and History, Cultural Dynamics, Rethinking Marxism, and SAMAR: South Asian Magazine for Action and Refl ection. She is currently working on a book on sex work and migration in Mumbai’s informal sector. The author would like to thank Srilatha Batliwala and Veronica Magar for their invaluable help in reviewing and providing feedback on this paper. Thanks are also due to the MDG3 Fund for supporting CREA’s Count Me In! initiative.
  • Violence Against Women and Tunisian Feminism

    Violence Against Women and Tunisian Feminism

    CSI0010.1177/0011392116640481Current SociologyArfaoui and Moghadam 640481research-article2016 Article CS Current Sociology Monograph 2016, Vol. 64(4) 637 –653 Violence against women and © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: Tunisian feminism: Advocacy, sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0011392116640481 policy, and politics in an Arab csi.sagepub.com context Khedija Arfaoui University of Manouba, Tunisia Valentine M Moghadam Northeastern University, USA Abstract Informed theoretically by feminist sociological and political science research on women’s social movements and women’s engagement with public policy, this article examines the advocacy and political work of women’s rights groups in Tunisia in the area of violence against women. It locates the origins of the concern about this particular social problem, shows how the women’s rights groups worked with government agencies as well as transnational feminist networks to raise awareness and institute policy changes, and examines how their research, advocacy, and lobbying efforts have evolved. Drawing on the personal experience of the first author, who has been a longstanding participant in the Tunisian women’s rights movement, as well as on various publications by ATFD and AFTURD and related documentary data, the article shows how a relatively small feminist movement has been able to leverage its relationships with other civil society organizations to influence changes in policies, laws, and public debates. Keywords Citizenship, constitution, feminism, policy, Tunisia, violence against women Corresponding author: Valentine M Moghadam, Northeastern University, International Affairs, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Email: [email protected] Downloaded from csi.sagepub.com by guest on June 14, 2016 638 Current Sociology Monograph 2 64(4) Introduction Tunisia is a good case study of feminist advocacy and political work around violence against women for a number of reasons.