DOCSLIB.ORG

A Study on Women in Turkish Political Life and the Turkish Women Parliamentarians∗

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Study on Women in Turkish Political Life and the Turkish Women Parliamentarians∗ Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Fırat University Journal of Social Science Cilt: 20, Sayı: 2, Sayfa: 287-300, ELAZIĞ-2010 A STUDY ON WOMEN IN TURKISH POLITICAL LIFE ∗ AND THE TURKISH WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS Türk Siyasal Yaşamında Kadınlar ve Türk Kadın Parlamenterler Üzerine Bir Çalışma Mehtap YEŞİLORMAN• ABSTRACT Gender discrimination, still continues an important question both developed and developing countries in 21st century. Politics has also carried on with standing for women as one of the most prominent privileged areas. In this context, women obtained political right the most recent in the history of the world. Although Turkish women gained the political rights before many European fellows, Turkish woman citizens still encounter a lot of problem in political life. Therefore, in this study firstly has been examined the history of fight for political rights of women both in Turkey and in the world. Following this, it has been analyzed the status’ of Turkish women in the general and local representation levels and the political positions of the Turkish women parliamentarians in Turkish political life. Key Words: Women, Women in Politics, Political Rights of Women, the Turkish Women Parliamentarians. ÖZET Cinsiyet ayırımcılığı, yirmi birinci yüzyılda gerek gelişmiş ve gerekse gelişmekte olan ülkelerde hala önemli bir sorun olmayı sürdürmektedir. Siyaset de, kadınlar için en önemli ayrıcalık alanlarından biri olarak kalmaya devam etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, kadınlar siyasal haklarını dünya tarihinde çok yakın bir zamanda elde etmiştir. Her ne kadar, Türk kadınları siyasal haklarını pek çok Avrupalı hemcinsinden önce elde etseler de, Türk kadın vatandaşlar siyasal yaşamda hala pek çok problemle karşılaşmaktadırlar. Bu yüzden bu çalışmada, öncelikle hem dünyada hem de Türkiye’deki kadınların siyasal haklar mücadelesinin tarihi gözden geçirilmiştir. Bunun ardından, Türk kadınlarının genel ve yerel temsil düzeyindeki durumları ve Türk kadın parlamenterlerin Türk siyasal yaşamındaki siyasal konumları incelenmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kadınlar, Siyasette Kadınlar, Kadınların Siyasal Hakları, Türk Parlamenter Kadınlar. ∗ This paper was presented in “Breaking the Glass Ceiling”, Second International Conference on Women’s Studies, EMU Centre for Women’s Studies, April 26-28 2006, Famagusta-North Cyprus • Doç. Dr., Fırat Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Elazığ; [email protected] F.Ü.Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 2010-20/2 1. INTRODUCTION Gender discrimination is a social problem observed in the whole world without exempting the developed countries. In spite of changing social conditions, it is well known that some prejudice and negative applications exist for women in a great number of societies. Some qualifications of women which may be considered as a relative weakness in comparison to men, their natural differences from men and cultural and social values can be accepted as the bases which determine, institutionalize the differences and privileges between the genders, and lead the initiatives and activities. The opinions and attitudes mentioned made woman the most controlled actress of social life in the context of conservation of the current status. Especially women not taking place in political life effectively their general conditions in society cannot be improved. In this respect, equality of genders is related to the human rights and functionality of democracy. Therefore, this inequality can be solved, in the first place, by the improvement of democracy and the human rights. One of the ways to produce a solution to the inequality of genders is that women should gain more affectivity in politics. Generally, it can not be true approach to exempt women’s rights completely from political rights. Likewise, the fight of women for the suffrage is the peak point of woman activities, so called the first wave, in 19th and 20th centuries (Marshall, 1999: 374). In fact, it is not ethical and possible to deal with political rights in a society that women are deprived of the fundamental human rights. In such a society, discrimination between genders is natural in political life as well. This aspect can be described as a situation related to the position of women in society beside the level of democracy. Women acquired their political rights due to gains of human rights and citizenship culture which forms the heart of democracy. Democracy is a regime which supports citizens to take place in governing and political decision making mechanisms actively. It even functions on the base of competitions among the senior citizens in decision making and governing activities. Therefore, contributions of citizens taking responsibility for the political decision mechanisms are reacted positively by the system. In a sense, democracy guaranties the political rights and responsibilities of women since the women have the same political rights and responsibilities to the men in this regime. 2. THE HISTORY OF FIGHT FOR POLITICAL RIGHTS OF WOMEN 2.1. The Contend with Women’s Political Rights in the World When dealt with women’s political rights, the view focuses on democratic regime, yet the history of political rights traces back before this period of time. In this context, the 288 A Study on Women... political rights history of women can be evaluated in two categories; as in the world and in Turkey. Political rights were gained after a long and struggling period, even when gender discrimination is exempted in history of the world. Even in Athens’s democracy, political rights were some kind of privilege which could be employed by some social classes. As far as we know, not only women but had men except only the ones having wealth or noble ones no right of joining to the political activities. In fact, it is not possible to evaluate the women considering political rights due to the absence of written documents on women’s status in the societies of the ancient times (Arat, 1980:15). Women had a very superior role in society before the settled life according to some sources. This role continued until the transition period to the settled life era when men began to use their natural physical power in order to control the nature. Women suffered for social and political rights both in America and Europe. For example, the fight for political rights of women in England has a very remarkable history. In an old English law, women had the right of voting and contributing the courts. They were deprived of these rights later. Women benefited from a change in the voting law in 1832 in which the term “a person” was used in place of both woman and man and attempted to vote. John Stuart Mill made the first official speech in the House of Commons and asked suffrage for women by stating that the term “man” included woman as well. But this demand was rejected by 191 “no” votes against 73 “yes” (Arat, 1980: 36). It was expressed that women forced the parliament to enact the law in this issue and prepare the public in this fight for the first time in the world (Savcı, 1973: 24-26). In France, Christin de Pison (Savcı, 1973: 26) did studies on women’s rights and fight against the priests and church showing the most intense reaction. Although Leon Richier (Arat, 1980: 37-38), who was regarded as the real founder of women rights in France, organized a congress on women right in 1878 but French women obtained their rights only in 1945. Some say the date was 1944 (Ayata, 1998: 237). The first proclamation on women’s right was done by a male university student, Luise Otto in Germany in 1790 (Arat, 1980: 38). Women in Germany gained their political rights after 1918 but lost during Hitler and Napoleon era. In the later periods, this manner against women did not change and political parties beside unions continued this discrimination (Michel, 1984: 99). From the beginning of the 19th century, first England and then the other North European countries gave suffrage to women. After the Second World War, like the European countries, many countries in Asia and Africa recognized women’s rights. This historical improvement and recognition of women’s rights are based on the 289 F.Ü.Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 2010-20/2 principle of applying the contemporary thinking (Inan, 1973: 56). The reason why the women’s rights were recognized between 1918 and 1945 were due to the demands for political rights from women who were employed in state institutions and services in place of men going to war, as a result of protecting their economical and social positions they gained. The International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWA) was fighting against the groups objecting to woman suffrage and opening branches in many European Countries. Woman suffrage was recognized in 21 countries such as Austria, British East Africa, Canada, Crimea, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, England, Hungary, Island, Latvia, Latonia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Rhodesia, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and USA (Michel, 1984: 115). Implementation of these rights by women did not cause a sudden change in practice. In oriental societies women remained more passive. Turkey is one of these countries. 2.2. The Struggle of Turkish Women on Political Rights When looked at Turkish history, some opinions are encountered stating that women had very high positions in society and were not different from men in activities. Even, there is some information that women went for hunting, used weapon, joined war games and represented the monarch in his absence by his permission. We learn from some sources that Turkish queens made policy, the orders of the king must have begun with the sentence of “the King and Queen say that” otherwise they would not be recognized. Similarly, it is seen in Oguzname (books) by Dede Korkut that Turkish women had a very primary importance and their heroism and motherhood were praised (Inan, 1973: 60). During Ottoman era, in the early times, the positive attitude for women continued due to the nomadic life, but later this situation dramatically changed.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Irish Women in Medicine, C.1880S-1920S
    “She has broken down the barrier of bigotry and exclusiveness and forced her way into the profession”: Irish women in medicine, c.1880s-1920s1 Laura Kelly In an 1898 article on the progress of Irish women in the medical profession, the Irish newspaper, the Freeman’s Journal reported that the “lady doctor” had: broken down the barrier of bigotry and exclusiveness and forced her way into the profession. She has now her recognised position and status, and is no longer, except amongst the particularly ill-conditioned, a theme for rude jests and jibes.2 In spite of the fact that Russia and Ireland exemplify significantly different social and cultural settings, the history of women’s entry to the medical profession in both of these countries bears striking similarities. Attitudes to women studying medicine in Ireland were remarkably liberal in common with Russia, while the first generation of women doctors in both contexts had similar career paths. This chapter will explore the history of the first generation of women medical graduates in Ireland, drawing comparisons with the Russian case. Traditionally, the historiography of women in the medical profession internationally has focused on the challenges and struggles women have faced in their pursuit of medical education.3 For instance, Thomas Neville Bonner, in his engaging comparative history of women’s entry to the medical profession in Britain, Russia, France and the United States, commented that: “Everywhere the story was the same.”4 This chapter seeks to explore the similarities between Russia and Ireland, emphasizing that both of these contexts exemplify exceptions to the dominant historiographical discourse on women’s entry to the medical profession.
    [Show full text]
  • Objects Linked to Women's Suffrage in Moad's Collection
    Background Information – objects linked to Women’s Suffrage in MoAD’s collection The issue of female suffrage was one of the major unresolved questions in western democracies in the early decades of the twentieth century. Many activists looked to Australia as the exemplar of progressive democratic leadership, because Australian women had won both the vote and the right to stand for parliament at a national level in 1903. Australians were also active in suffrage campaigns overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, in the years just prior to the First World War. The formation of the Women s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903 marked a break from the politics of demure persuasion that characterised the earlier period of the suffrage campaign. Frustrated at the lack of progress from years of moderate speeches and promises about women's suffrage from members of parliament, Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the WSPU,and several colleagues decided to abandon these patient tactics in favour of more militant ones. Emmeline later wrote that Deeds, not words, was to be our permanent motto. (E. Pankhurst, My Own Story, 1914, p.38). Over several years the actions of WPSU members became increasingly physical and violent. Emmeline herself was jailed several times for her actions, the first time in 1908 when she tried to enter Parliament to deliver a protest resolution to Prime Minister Asquith. She spoke out against the conditions of her first incarceration, protesting at the tiny amounts of food she received, the vermin, and the hardship of solitary confinement. In 1908 two WSPU members, Edith New and Mary Leigy, threw rocks at the windows of the Prime Minister s home at 10 Downing Street.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Nineteenth-Century English Periodical Literature
    PRINT AND PROTEST: A STUDY OF THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH PERIODICAL LITERATURE Bonnie Ann Schmidt B.A., University College of the Fraser Valley, 2004 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREEE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of History 43 Bonnie Ann Schmidt 2005 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fa11 2005 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Bonnie Ann Schmidt Degree: Master of Arts Title: Print and Protest: A Study of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Nineteenth-Century English Periodical Literature Examining Committee: Dr. Ian Dyck Senior Supervisor Associate Professor of History Dr. Mary Lynn Stewart Supervisor Professor of Women's Studies Dr. Betty A. Schellenberg External Examiner Associate Professor of English Date Defended: NOV.s/15 SIMON FRASER UN~VER~~brary DECLARATION OF PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection, and, without changing the content, to translate the thesislproject or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work.
    [Show full text]
  • Women in Britain. Voices and Perspective from Twentieth Century History
    Journal of International Women's Studies Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 33 February 2020 Book Review: Women in Britain. Voices and perspective from twentieth century history Shivani Singh Follow this and additional works at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws Part of the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Singh, Shivani (2020). Book Review: Women in Britain. Voices and perspective from twentieth century history. Journal of International Women's Studies, 21(1), 412-417. Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol21/iss1/33 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2020 Journal of International Women’s Studies. Reviewer’s name: Shivani Singh Academic degree: Ph.D. Title: Dr.; Assistant Professor Contact details: B.A. Liberal Arts, Inter-Disciplinary School of Science, IUCAA road, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India. Pincode: 411007. Phone number: 9503532176; email: [email protected] Information about the reviewed book: Book Title: Women in Britain. Voices and perspective from twentieth century history. Author: Janet H. Howarth Publication Year: 2019 Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. City: London, Great Britain Total number of pages: 320 Illustrations: None Photographs: 15 (listed after contents) Appendix, or index: Included as Index of Persons and Subject Index at the end. Price: $2256 Paperback 412 Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women: Autobiographical Sketches by Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell
    History Books History 2006 Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women: Autobiographical Sketches by Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell Amy Bix Iowa State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/history_books Part of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the Women's History Commons Recommended Citation Blackwell, Elizabeth and Bix, Amy, "Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women: Autobiographical Sketches by Elizabeth Blackwell" (2006). History Books. 8. http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/history_books/8 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the History at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Books by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. I f f INTRODUCTION i i I by Amy Sue Bix f I t I The history of women as healers dates back many cen- t turies, long before the life of Elizabeth Blackwell. We have evidence of women as healers and midwives in ancient Greece; for example, some women have funeral inscriptions describing them with the terms "midwife" and "physician." Women's practice of medicine was not universally welcomed; in Athens during the fourth century BCE, female healers were apparently accused of performing illegal abortions and banned from the profession. Stories suggest that one of the era's most famous medical women, Agnodice, had to cut her hair and dress in men's clothing to attend physicians' classes, since her practice of medicine was illegal.
    [Show full text]
  • Better for Women
    Better for women Improving the health and wellbeing of girls and women December 2019 1 Within this document we use the terms woman and women’s health. However, it is important to acknowledge that it is not only people who identify as women for whom it is necessary to access women’s health and Contents reproductive services in order to maintain their gynaecological health and reproductive wellbeing. Gynaecological and obstetric services and delivery of care must therefore be appropriate, inclusive and sensitive to the needs of Foreword 4 - 5 those individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. Executive summary and recommendations 6 - 25 Chapter 1: A life course approach 26 - 35 Chapter 2: ‘What women are saying’ 36 - 47 Chapter 3: Access to accurate education and information 48 - 73 Introduction The importance of education The need for accurate information Overcoming stigmas RCOG recommendations Chapter 4: Prevention and empowerment 74 - 123 Introduction Preventing unplanned pregnancies Health indicators before, during and after pregnancy Safeguarding vulnerable girls and women Gynaecological cancers – prevention and early diagnosis General health during and after the menopause RCOG recommendations Chapter 5: Fragmentation and access to services 124 - 161 Introduction Commissioning Access to contraception Access to cervical screening Access to abortion services Access to appropriate fertility care RCOG recommendations Conclusion 162 - 163 2 3 for longer in the post reproductive era than they spent in their reproductive phase. Their expectation is to have Foreword quality of life as well as longevity. They are looking to us to help them achieve this.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 'A Glass Half Full'? Women's History in the UK June Purvis, University Of
    ‘A glass half full’? Women’s history in the UK June Purvis, University of Portsmouth in Karen M. Offen, University of Stanford, USA and Chen Yan, Fudan University, China, Women’s History at the Cutting Edge, Special Issue of Women’s History Review forthcoming 2017/early 2018 ABSTRACT This article offers an overview of the development of women’s history in the UK over the last twenty years or so. It is noted that over this period women’s history has expanded massively, an expansion that has cut across national boundaries and drawn in scholars from other disciplines than History. Seven themes in women’s history are identified as being prominent during this time – a focus on the modern period (post 1780), a strong empirical bent, a questioning of the dominance of a separate spheres discourse, an interest in life stories and biographies, an interest in the women’s suffrage movement, a ‘religious turn’ and a ‘transnational turn’. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS June Purvis is Emeritus Professor of Women’s and Gender History at the University of Portsmouth, UK. She has published extensively on women’s education in nineteenth-century England and on the suffragette movement in Edwardian Britain. Her publications include Emmeline Pankhurst: a biography (2002: Routledge) and Women’s Activism: global perspectives from the 1890s to the present (2013: Routledge), co-edited with Francisca de Haan, Margaret Allen and Krassimira Daskalova. June is the Founding and Managing Editor of Women’s History Review and also the Editor for a book series with Routledge on Women’s and Gender History. She is Chair of the Women’s History Network (2014-18) and Secretary and Treasurer of the International Federation for Research in Women’s History (2015-20).
    [Show full text]
  • The Fashioning of Orientalism in the Travelogues of 18Th-Century British
    James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Middle Eastern Communities and Migrations Undergraduate Research Student Research Paper Series Summer 2017 Significant Others: The aF shioning of Orientalism in the Travelogues of 18th-Century British Women Rachel Barton James Madison University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/mecmsrps Part of the Islamic World and Near East History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Recommended Citation Barton, Rachel, "Significant Others: The ashioninF g of Orientalism in the Travelogues of 18th-Century British Women" (2017). Middle Eastern Communities and Migrations Student Research Paper Series. 4. http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/mecmsrps/4 This Presented Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Research at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Middle Eastern Communities and Migrations Student Research Paper Series by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Significant Others: The Fashioning of Orientalism in the Travelogues of 18th-Century British Women Rachel Barton June 2017 1 British fascination with the Ottoman Empire was not a new phenomenon in the 18th Century. To the Occident, the Orient had always been a source of mystery, intrigue, and romance. Regardless of whether the desire for knowledge of the unknown Other came from colonial interest or a sense of scientific and anthropologic duty, travelers to the empire filled their journals and letters with observations of all aspects of Ottoman life. These crossers of cultural boundaries were self-proclaimed experts on the economic, political, and social institutions of the East, and wrote with confidence for themselves and readers back home.
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Suffrage Movement in Britain: the Long Road Toward
    PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research University of Tlemcen Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English Women’s Suffrage Movement in Britain: The Long Road toward Women’s Rights (1850/1928) Dissertation submitted to the Department of English as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Literature and Civilisation Presented by: Supervised by: KECHE Houda Dr. SENOUCI Faiza MAMMERI Chahinaz BOARD OF EXAMINERS: Dr/ KHELLADI Mohamed Chairperson Dr/ SENOUCI Faiza Supervisor Mrs/SEBBOUI Khadidja Examiner Academic Year: 2016-2017 Acknowledgements Before all we thank almighty God for blessing us in achieving this work. All the thanks go to our supervisor Dr. SENOUCI Faiza who has guided us with great professionalism and whose guidance and suggestion have helped us a lot in the fulfilment of this research work. I also welcome this opportunity to express my appreciation to the members of jury and to all the teachers of the department of English, from whom we have learnt a lot Million thanks to all who helped us in this work II Dedication I dedicate this modest work: To my lovely mother Chafia. And to the best man on earth in my eyes my father Mokhtar There is no doubt in my mind that without them I would never go further in my life, and I say to them: “Thank you for your affection, prayers and your selfless sacrifices.” To my shining beloved sister Hanane To the best copy of mine Amira To my lovely brothers Walid and Haythem To all my family, especially Zahra, Hadjer, Sara, Meriem To my friend who shared this work with me: Chahinaz To all my best friends Houda III Dedication I dedicate this humble work: To my wonderful deeply missed mother, I will always keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
    [Show full text]
  • A Point of Justice – Granted Or Fought For? Women's Suffrage Campaigns
    Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review (2016) 1 A POINT OF JUSTICE – GRANTED OR FOUGHT FOR? WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE CAMPAIGNS IN PLYMOUTH AND THE SOUTH WEST 1 Judith Rowbotham and Kim Stevenson Abstract The release of the film Suffragette in October 2015, surprisingly the first major feature film on the women’s suffrage movement, has raised public consciousness about the issue of women’s rights and the role of the suffragettes in demanding votes for women with their call to arms of ‘deeds, not words’. But decades before the Women’s Social and Political Union was created in 1903 campaigners across the country had begun the struggle for emancipation for women. We argue that the film therefore needs to be seen in a wider context including the high level of male support for the cause and the fact it was not just a London or large city-based phenomenon. To support our claim this paper reviews the campaigns for women’s suffrage in Plymouth and the South West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We conclude with reference to the ‘clever’ arrest by Plymouth’s Chief Constable, Joseph Davison Sowerby, of Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst as she attempted to land at Plymouth having sailed from New York on the liner Majestic. Keywords: suffragette, suffragist, votes for women, franchise, Women’s Social and Political Union, Emmeline Pankhurst Introduction The release of the film Suffragette has successfully put part of the history of the campaign for women’s rights back on the public agenda, by presenting a view of the most famous aspect of the fight for women to have votes in parliamentary elections.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender, Migration and Identity: Spanish Migrant Women in London
    Gender, migration and identity: Spanish migrant women in London ANA BRAVO MORENO Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy (Ph.D.) of the University of London Culture, Communication & Societies Institute of Education University of London July 1999 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of international migration in shaping the national and gender identities of Spanish women, who migrated to England between 1940-1992. The thesis examines the process of construction of these women's national and gender identities in their country of origin. However, international migration means a change of socio-cultural and linguistic context that may call into question these women's notions of femininity and national identity. Thus, the thesis analyses in considerable detail how different women migrants use aspects of their cultural heritage as frameworks in shaping their national and gender identities in England. This thesis is structured in three main parts. The first part deals with the theoretical decisions taken in this thesis and also questions the categorisations of migrants found in the literature. The first part positions the thesis within a theoretical framework and a specific research design used in this study. One appendix expands on the decisions which are taken. The second part analyses the constructions of gender and national identities in Spain before migration. It examines political ideology and definitions of femininity imposed on Spanish women via the Catholic Church, the school and the government. Women's narratives reveal the shaping of Spanish gendered identities, in different social classes and generations. The third part examines the role of the Spanish and the British governments in the movement of Spanish migrants to the UK and the ways their policies treated male and female migration differently.
    [Show full text]
  • Women and Politeness in Eighteenth- Century England
    Women and Politeness in Eighteenth- Century England This first in-depth study of women’s politeness examines the complex relationship individuals had with the discursive ideals of polite femininity. Contextualising women’s autobiographical writings (journals and letters) with a wide range of eighteenth-century printed didactic material, it analyses the tensions between politeness discourse which aimed to regulate acceptable feminine identities and women’s possibilities to resist this disciplinary regime. Ylivuori focuses on the central role the female body played as both the means through which individuals actively fashioned themselves as polite and feminine, and the supposedly truthful expression of their inner status of polite femininity. Soile Ylivuori is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London. Routledge Studies in Eighteenth-Century Cultures and Societies The long eighteenth century sits as a pivotal point between the early-modern and modern worlds. By actively encouraging an international focus for the series over all, both in terms of wide-ranging geographical topics and authorial locations, the series aims to feature cutting-edge research from established and recent scholars, and capitalize on the breadth of themes and topics that new approaches to research in the period reveal. This series provides a forum for recent and estab- lished historians to present new research and explore fresh approaches to culture and society in the long eighteenth century. As a crucial period of transition, the period saw developments that shaped perceptions of the place of the individual and the collective in the construction of the modern world. Eighteenth-Century Cultures and Societies is a series that is globally ambitious in scope and broad in its desire to publish cutting-edge research that takes an innovative, multi-vocal and increasingly holistic approach to the period.
    [Show full text]