Activism and Women's NGOs in Turkey - by Asuman Özgür Keysan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Civil society is often seen as male, structured in a way that excludes women from public and political life. Much feminist scholarship sees civil society and feminism as incompatible a result. But scholars and activists are currently trying to update this view by looking at women's positions in civil society and women's activism. This book contributes to this new research, arguing that civil society is a contested terrain where women can negotiate and successfully challenge dominant discourses in society. The book is based on interviews with women activists from ten women's organizations in Turkey. Foregrounding the voices of women, the book answers the question "How do women's NGOs contribute to civil society in the Middle East?". At a time when civil society is being promoted and institutionalised in Turkey, particularly by the EU, this book demonstrates that women's organisations can help achieve women's emancipation, even if there are significant differences in their approaches and ideas.

Review Quotes

""This is an interesting, insightful and original contribution to the study of Turkish civil society and the women's movement in particular, applying feminist perspectives and discourse analysis. The empirical data is rich and robust, employed shrewdly in support of the key arguments."" --Markus Ketola, Research Director, Ulster University, Northern Ireland