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Working Class Feminism: Solidarity and Experience in a Factory Strike in Turkey

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Working Class Feminism: Solidarity and Experience in a Factory Strike in Turkey WORKING CLASS FEMINISM: SOLIDARITY AND EXPERIENCE IN A FACTORY STRIKE IN TURKEY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY BURCU SAKA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY MAY 2018 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycıoğlu 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 Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Mehmet C. Ecevit Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gündüz Hoşgör (METU, SOC) Prof. Dr. Mehmet C. Ecevit (METU, SOC) Prof. Dr. Ceylan Tokluoğlu (METU, SOC) Prof. Dr. Metin Özuğurlu (Ankara Uni., ÇEEİ) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar M. Y. Parmaksız (Nişantaşı Uni., SOC) ii PLAGIARISM 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 : Burcu Saka Signature : iii ABSTRACT WORKING CLASS FEMINISM: SOLIDARITY AND EXPERIENCE IN A FACTORY STRIKE IN TURKEY Saka, Burcu Ph.D., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mehmet C. Ecevit May 2018, 276 pages This thesis, which focuses on working-class feminism, claims that the industrial actions of women workers in their workplace are also promising in terms of transforming the sex based division of labor. This, on the one hand, is related to the re-organization of work on the axis of deepening sexual division of labor as the condition of exploitation, and on the other hand, women workers’ efforts to make their burdens of reproduction and sexist practices in the workplace a subject of industrial actions. In explaining industrial actions, the thesis gave priority to the solidarity relations among workers arising from the collective character of the labor process and, with respect to the organisation of work based on sexual division of labour, aimed to display the influence and power of the sisterly bonds among women in industrial actions, and their importance in women's empowerment. In line with this aim, semi-structured interviews were held with women workers who participated the two-day protests including a picketing, slowdown strike and occupation at Mata Automative Factory in Tuzla Free-Trade Zone, İstanbul. Based on these interviews, the study claimed that the struggle to be recognized as women workers with respect to the demands for better working conditions for workers stands at the center of the future and transformative character of feminism and class movement. Keywords: Working-class feminism, industrial action, exploitation, solidarity, sisterhood. iv ÖZ İŞÇİ SINIFI FEMİNİZMİ: TÜRKİYE’DEKİ BİR FABRİKADA GREV DENEYİMİ VE DAYANIŞMA Saka, Burcu Doktora, Sosyoloji Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Mehmet C. Ecevit Mayıs 2018, 276 sayfa İşçi sınıfı feminizmine odaklanan bu tez kadın işçilerin işyerlerindeki endüstriyel eylemlerinin cinsiyetçi işbölümünü de dönüştürmeyi vaat ettiğini iddia etmektedir. Bu bir yanıyla üretimin yeni organizasyonu doğrultusunda emek süreçlerinin cinsiyetçi ilişkileri sömürünün koşulu olarak kullanması ve derinleştirmesi ile bir yanıyla da kadın işçilerin yeniden üretim yüklerini ve cinsiyetçi işyeri pratiklerini endüstriyel eylemlerin konusu haline getirmeleri ile ilişkilidir. Tez endüstriyel eylemleri açıklarken emek sürecinin kolektif karakterinden doğan işçiler arası dayanışma ilişkilerine öncelik vermiş; işin cinsiyetçi işbölümü ekseninde örgütlenmesinden yola çıkarak kadınlar arasındaki kız kardeşlik bağlarının endüstriyel eylemlerdeki etkisini, gücünü ve kadınların güçlenmesindeki önemini sergilemeyi amaçlamıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda İstanbul Tuzla Serbest Ticaret Bölgesinde yer alan Mata Otomotiv Fabrikasında toplam 2 gün süren protesto yürüyüşü, iş yavaşlatma ve işgal eylemlerine katılmış kadın işçilerle yarı- yapılandırılmış bilgi toplama tekniği kullanarak görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Çalışma bu görüşmelerden yararlanarak, işçiler için daha iyi çalışma koşulları talebi ekseninde kadın işçi olarak tanınma mücadelelerinin feminizmin ve sınıf hareketinin geleceği ve dönüştürücü karakterinde merkezi bir yerde durduğunu iddia etmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: İşçi sınıfı feminizmi, endüstriyel eylem, sömürü, dayanışma, kız kardeşlik. v DEDICATION To the living memory of my beloved Nadire Bakan. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ...................................................................................................................... İİİ ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... İV ÖZ ............................................................................................................................................ V DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................... Vİ TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... Vİİ LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. X CHAPTER ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 AIM OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 SUBJECT OF THE THESIS .................................................................................................. 1 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION ...................................................................................................... 5 1.4 METHOD .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 PLAN OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................ 7 2.WORKING CLASS FEMINISM ..................................................................................... 12 2.1 INTRODUCTıON .............................................................................................................. 12 2.2 EMPıRıCAL STUDıES ON WORKıNG CLASS FEMıNıSTS: ON PROTECTıONıSM ............... 15 2.3 SOME TENSIONS OF WORKING-CLASS FEMINISM ......................................................... 22 2.4 FEMıNıSM’S TURN ıNTO MAıNSTREAM ......................................................................... 25 2.4.1 Novamed Strike ...................................................................................................... 26 2.5 WORKıNG CLASS FEMıNıSM AS CRıTıCıSM OF THE HıSTORY OF WOMEN’S MOVEMENT ......................................................................................................................... 30 2.5.1 Mainstream Feminist History Writing: Wave Metaphor ....................................... 30 2.5.2 History of Women’s Movement in Turkey ............................................................ 33 2.5.3 Limitations of the Wave Metaphor and Plural Roots of Feminism ....................... 40 2.6 CAN WE NAME WORKıNG CLASS WOMEN AS FEMıNıSTS: THE QUESTıON OF NAMıNG ............................................................................................................................... 45 3.FEMINIST DEBATE ON EQUALITY AND DIFFERENCE ....................................... 49 3.1 INTRODUCTıON .............................................................................................................. 49 3.2 FEMıNıST EQUALıTY-DıFFERENCE DEBATE .................................................................. 56 3.2.1 Current Version of Feminist Equality-Difference Debate ..................................... 57 3.2.2 Equality, Difference, Diversity Feminists .............................................................. 60 3.2.2.1. The strategy of inclusion ................................................................................ 61 3.2.2.2 The strategy of reversal ................................................................................... 61 3.2.2.3 The strategy of displacement ........................................................................... 62 vii 3.3 SOJOURNER TRUTH AND FEMıNıSMS: DıFFERENT WAYS OF HOW TRUTH’S LıFE ıS INCLUDED ıN FEMıNıST WRıTıNG ................................................................................... 63 3.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 63 3.3.2 Feminist Interest in Truth ...................................................................................... 64 3.3.3 One Woman, Two Speeches .................................................................................. 67 3.3.4 Standpoint Feminism, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and Sojourner Truth ...... 69 3.3.5 Sojourner Truth’s Question in Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis .................... 72 3.4 NANCY FRASER’S STUDıES TO SYNTHESıZE REDıSTRıBUTıON AND RECOGNıTıON ....................................................................................................................
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