Dünyasi of 1913

CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF TURKISH WOMEN DURING THE OTTOMAN
MODERNIZATION AND SELF-EVALUATION OF WOMEN IN KADINLAR

DÜNYASI OF 1913
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
BY
CEREN AYGÜL
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS
IN
THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
AUGUST 2010
Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences
Prof. Dr. Meliha AltunıĢık

Director
I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master
of Arts.
Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal Akgün

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 Arts.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur

Supervisor
Examining Committee Members
Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal Akgün (METU, HIST)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur (METU, HIST)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ceylan Tokluoğlu (METU, SOC)

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 : Ceren Aygül
Signature :
iii
ABSTRACT
CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF TURKISH WOMEN DURING THE OTTOMAN
MODERNIZATION AND SELF-EVALUATION OF WOMEN IN KADINLAR
DÜNYASI OF 1913
Aygül, Ceren
M.A., Department of History
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur
August 2010, 121 pages
This study, which aims to portray the circumstances of Ottoman women’s movement
during the first years of Second Constitutional Era from the eyes of the writers of
Kadınlar Dünyası Periodical, makes an analysis of the meanings ascribed to the efforts
for the restoration of women’s position in social life and the roles claimed for women
during Ottoman modernization period.
This research intends to confirm the fact that the basis for the mentality of defenders
voicing women’s rights was the progressive outlook which chose the “women question”
as the focus on the way of securing not only social progress but also social integration,
solidarity, national consciousness and progressiveness. Thus, the ideas expressed in the
articles all written by women writers of Kadınlar Dünyası are evaluated with the
iv
question in mind that whether the boundaries of Ottoman women’s movement and the
social role granted for them in the modernization process were wholly determined by the
women themselves or theorized predominantly by the policymakers of the state who
were all men. Deducing from the self-evaluation of women in Kadınlar Dünyası of
1913, this thesis consequently underlines the fact that the struggle for women rights,
which were carried out on behalf of patriotic and nationalist claims in accordance with
the socio-political conditions of the time, could not overcome their invariable position of
being “historical objects” despite of the fact that women held a considerable progress in
their status during the Second Constitutional Era which laid the parameters of the
“women question” during the early Republican Era.
Keywords: The Second Constitutional Era, Ottoman Women’s Movement, Women
Periodicals, Kadınlar Dünyası
v
ÖZ
OSMANLI MODERNLEġMESĠNDE TÜRK KADINININ STATÜSÜNDEKĠ
DEĞĠġĠM VE 1913 KADINLARI DÜNYASI DERGĠSĠ’NDE KADINLARIN BU
DEĞĠġĠMĠ DEĞERLENDĠRMESĠ
Aygül, Ceren
Yüksek Lisans, Tarih Bölümü
Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Recep Boztemur
Ağustos 2010, 121 sayfa
II. MeĢrutiyet döneminin ilk yıllarında Osmanlı kadın hareketine Kadınlar Dünyası
Dergisi yazarlarının gözünden bakmaya çalıĢan bu tez çalıĢması, kadının toplumdaki ve
aile içindeki konumunun düzeltilmesi için ortaya konan çabaların Türk modernleĢme
hareketi çerçevesinde kazandığı anlamları ve bu dönemde Osmanlı kadınına dönemin
yöneticileri ve düĢünce insanları tarafından atfedilen rolleri incelemek amacındadır.
Bu araĢtırmada, kadının toplumsal yaĢama katılımını savunan anlayıĢın, kadının
durumunun iyileĢtirilmesini toplumsal ilerleme, dayanıĢma, birlik ve beraberlik ile milli
bilincin geliĢtirilmesi yolunda bir odak olarak gören ilerlemeci bakıĢ açısının ürünü
olduğu fikri doğrulanmaya çalıĢılmıĢtır. Bu doğrultuda II. MeĢrutiyet Dönemi’nin en
önemli kadın dergilerinden biri olan Kadınlar Dünyası’nda yer alan ve tamamı kadın
vi
yazarlar tarafından kaleme alınan makalelerdeki fikirler, Osmanlı kadın hareketinin
sınırlarının ve modernleĢme döneminde kadınlara atfedilen toplumsal rollerin kadınların
kendileri tarafından mı belirlendiği yoksa dönemin idarecileri tarafından mı kurgulandığı
sorusu akılda tutularak incelenmeye çalıĢılmıĢtır. Kadınların kendi durumlarına ve kendi
hak mücadelelerine bakıĢlarını Kadınlar Dünyası Dergisi’nde yayınladıkları makaleler
vasıtasıyla değerlendirmeye çalıĢan bu tez; dönemin gereksinimleri doğrultusunda milli
bir dava olarak vatanperverlik adına ortaya konan Ġkinci MeĢrutiyet dönemi kadın
hakları mücadelesinin - her ne kadar kadının sosyal statüsü açısından erken Cumhuriyet
dönemi kadın hakları mücadelesinin çerçevesini belirleyen önemli kazanımlar elde
edilmesini sağlasa da - kadınların değiĢmeyen “tarihsel nesne” pozisyonunu
değiĢtirmeye yetmediğini vurgulamaktadır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: II. MeĢrutiyet, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, Kadın Dergileri, Kadınlar
Dünyası
vii
To My Sister
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, I would like to thank my academic advisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep
Boztemur for his guidance, encouragement and confidence in my studies throughout my
academic life. He has been not only my advisor but also a kind friend who shared the
hardest times while writing this thesis. His invaluable comments have made the
completion of this work possible. My heartfelt thanks also go to Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal
Akgün who has been enormously helpful throughout the process of writing this work.
Her support made me believe in my studies and motivated me to work harder. As a role
model, she did not hesitate to share her knowledge with me at any time. I greatly
benefited from her knowledge and systematic writing. I would like to thank Assoc. Prof.
Dr. Ceylan Tokluoğlu for her very valuable suggestions which provide me different
perspectives. Assist. Prof. Dr. Nesim ġeker’s continuous moral support was very
significant for me and I extend my thanks to him, as well.
I would like express my gratitude to Taner Beyoğlu for his incredible patience and for
the constant intellectual and personal support he has given me during the preparation of
this thesis. His existence in my life is the source of my academic enthusiasm.
I am indebted to my officemates Aybike Seyma Tezel who has always used her best
endeavors whenever I felt despairing during the preparation of the thesis and Eyüp
Murat Kurt who is also a very kind friend who has helped me in my library researches. I
ix
wish to extend sincere appreciation to my best friends Ceylan Yılmaz, Dilek Demir,
Ebru Güzide Ergen and Esma Kaygısız who never omit their support not only during
this difficult time but also throughout my life.
My special thanks of course go to my family. I feel very lucky to have them and as
always they were always by my side during this challenging time.
I would like to thank to Tuba Karatepe and the staff of the Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi
ve Bilgi Vakfı for providing me with the necessary primary sources.
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PLAGIARISM..................................................................................................................iii
ABSTACT.........................................................................................................................iv
ÖZ……………..................................................................................................................vi
DEDICATION………………………………................................................................viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………........................................................ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………….............xii
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1
CHAPTER
1. A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF WOMEN’S POSITION IN TURKISH
SOCIETY UNTIL THE IMPERIAL EDICT OF 1839…...........................................10
1.1. The Woman in the Old Turkish Tradition……………....................................12
1.2. Turkish Women in Social Life After the Adoption of Islam……....................14
1.3. Women in Ottoman Society until the Tanzimat Era……………....................18
2. OTTOMAN WOMEN FROM TANZIMAT TO
THE SECOND CONSTITUTIONAL ERA................................................................24
2.1 Summary of Political Developments during Tanzimat……….………………25
2.2. Ottoman Women and Their Judicial Rights………………...……..................27
2.3. Ottoman Women and Education………………………....………..................30
2.4. Ottoman Women in Literature…....……………………....……….................35
xi
2.5. Ottoman Women and the Press……....…………………….……..................40
3. OTTOMAN WOMEN DURING THE FIRST YEARS OF SECOND
CONSTITUTIONAL ERA..............................................................................................46
3.1 The Situation of Women During the First Years of Second Constitutional Era
in the Context of Socio-Political Developments……….........................................49
3.2 Major Women’s Associations of the Period……….........................................52
3.3. The Best Known Women’s Periodicals of the Period………...…..................60
4. KADINLAR DÜNYASI……....……………………....………....................................66
4.1. About the Periodical……..…………………..................................................67
4.2. Main Issues in the Periodical……...………….…..………...…......................73
4.3. Articles About Education in Kadınlar Dünyası.………….…..………...…....81
4.4. Consciousness of History in the Articles of Kadınlar Dünyası.......................92
4.5. The Ideas Expressed in Kadınlar Dünyası Concerning Economy...................99
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................110
BIBLIOGRAPHY…......................................................................................................118
xii
INTRODUCTION
This study aims to analyze the ideas and debates of the women writers in one of
the long lasting and effective women periodical of the Second Constitutional era,
Kadınlar Dünyası, about the changing political, economic and historical conditions
in the Ottoman Empire. The ideas and issues debated by women in this periodical
are important in order to understand how the Ottoman intellectual women perceive
the fast-changing historical developments of the period and how they locate
themselves in these developments. Kadınlar Dünyası, published between 1913 and
1921 served as a platform for the articles written by women authors who were
trying to emancipate themselves from the position into the Ottoman society. They
wanted to change their social status by expressing their opinions about various
subjects.
In addition to examine the ideas of intellectual women during social reform
movements of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), this study also targets
to reveal the thoughts of the enlightened Ottoman women writing for Kadınlar
Dünyası in the issues regarding education, history and economics, specifically in
1913 when the socio-economic and political changes in the Empire gained pace.
This will facilitate understanding both the change in women‟s status from the
inferior position they fell in to a better status in social and family life during the
period of Ottoman modernization. It will also serve to reflect the socio-economic
and political changes in the period from the women‟s point of views. Furthermore,
this research also provides a self-evaluation of Ottoman women in the first years of
1
Second Constitutional Era on their status and roles in the society as well as the
nature of the struggle they dedicated to their own rights. To understand how the
Ottoman women intellectuals were looking inward to their struggle is so important
to discover the paralellities between the women‟s own perception of their
movement and the modern bureaucratic elite‟s outlook regarding the women
question. This self-evaluation also shows that like the intelligentsia and
bureaucratic elite, women intellectuals also perceived the women‟s movement as a
must-do step in overall modernization process and social progress.
As an equal and inseparably important element of social and family life,
women‟s status, functions and responsibilities in social units are always areas of
great significance in academic researches. The standing of women in dramatically
changing nature of Turkish society in the last centuries is a frequent question in
historical and sociological studies also. In order to be able to understand to which
level of social status the women reached and what kind of a sociological
composition they mirrored in a specific period of time in history, the preceding
historical developments and facts related with the issue in this study will be
narrated. That is why the study begins with a historical overview on the social
status of women during the nomadic Turkish tribes before the establishment of the
Ottoman state. Albeit of the fact that the social status of women was relatively
equal to men in early Turkish society, the existence of women in social life became
more restricted after the adaptation of the settled life and Islam. It is a fact that
during the mentioned era, the Ottoman women were treated as second class citizens
and many of their rights were hindered until the early 19th century when this began
2
to change with Tanzimat era. This is examined separately in the study because of
the fact that Ottoman women‟s position began to change and the perceptions about
women also altered with the Tanzimat era.
Until the 19th century, the dominant outlook reduced women‟s role as simply a
mother or a wife at home. Although both reform decrees of Tanzimat did not bring
any radical change to the standing of women; the overall reformist approach of the
period affected the perception of society and Ottoman intellectuals towards women.
The period between the proclamation of Imperial Edict in 1839 and the Second
Constitutional Era which introduced a new outlook concerning women‟s rights
witnessed many changes in different fields such as law and order, education,
literature and press. To illustrate, the submission of the right of inheritance to
daughters, the abolishment of slavery and trade of concubines and rearrangement
of marriage rules were important adjustments in state regulations. The
improvements were not restricted with these. Some advances in education were
additionally taking. Rüşdiyes (secondary schools) and vocational schools were
opened for girls. Moreover, primary education was made compulsory for the girls
and the Darülmuallimat (teacher training school) for a further education of girls
were initiated. Additionally, women and the problems they encountered with
became one of the popular issues debated in some literary works during the
mentioned period. The newspapers and periodicals constitute the primary sources
for the studies examining the socio-economic and political conditions of the period.
The appearance of journals and newspapers for the first time as the discussion
platform of current issues in the second half of the 19th century, the policies and
3
social conjuncture of the country, the status of women also started to be discussed
in these newly born reading materials. The newspapers and periodicals played an
important role in analyzing the general circumstances of the period, social,
economic and political structure of the state and the Ottoman intelligentsias‟
standing towards the state. The newspapers also served as the centers for the
dissemination of ideas and triggered the social awareness.
Owing to the fact that ensuring the social integration throughout the country
and to getting rid of decentralized inclinations were the major goals of the
Tanzimat reforms, the regulations enacted for the salvation of women were carried
out with the same concerns in mind. In this context, the role and status of women
were redefined not only aiming for the elevation of their social status, but also
creation of a new role model woman. The woman of this kind was theorized as a
figure which would contribute to a proper an integrated social structure depending
upon traditional values of the nation. It is necessary to note that the early
advocators of women‟s social status were all men. At first, there were only a few
women debating on their own rights. These enlightened Ottoman women were
mostly the daughters of the elite; they were well educated by foreign tutors at home
or in modern schools abroad.
The period which started with the proclamation of the First Constitution in
1876, interrupted by the autocratic regime of Abdülhamid II for thirty years and
reopened with the coming of the Second Constitution thanks to the activities of
Committee of Union and Progress, went through many intellectual improvements

4
including the women issues. This let women claim a more active role in social and
economic life more often through the charity associations at the preliminary stage.
The associations they founded and the journals they published became the major
instruments in order to claim their rights in an organized manner. Especially with
the beginning of the 20th century, women became more effective in defending their
rights. Although the major reasons for the establishment of women‟s associations
were aid and charity activities, the people who organized these associations also
undertook the responsibility of defending women‟s rights, educating women and
raising their cultural level. Moreover, the same people issued periodicals and
published articles. The press gradually became one of the most important
instruments which provided the women to bring forth some of their requests in the
aim of getting a better status in social and family life. On the one hand, many
articles published in newspapers and especially in some periodicals gave account
for the complaints and demands of women and gave effort to prepare the Ottoman
women contextual change on the other. In addition to women‟s activities in the
press, Ottoman women continued to participate in many different associations,
arranged some conferences and also were active in several charity programs. That
is why charity organizations, associations and more importantly periodicals and
newspapers were the most important sources of knowledge explicating the
inclinations, demands and activities of women.
Despite the fact that the efforts for the improvement of women‟s social position
did not essentially aim to elevate the consciousness of their own gender, it brought
about the realization of women of their own identities and their rights. While the
5
Ottoman women were questioning their role in society and giving effort to a better
status; both the boundaries of their movement and the limits of their social role
they gained in the modernization process were not fully determined by themselves
but mostly by the men of ruling elite. The emancipation of women was accepted as
an indispensible step in the way of modernization. Also, the aim of granting
equality for women was generalized by the people having nationalist inclinations.
These people intended to establish preparatory configurations of a national culture.
It should be asserted that such ideology affirmed the status of women as the criteria
for measuring the level of a nations‟ civilization within the society. That‟s why the
rights of women at the preliminary stage were defended by the reformist men of the
newly born intelligentsia of the Second Constitutional Era with the aim of
fortifying the images of modernity and civilization in Ottoman society. As natural
consequence of this separation occurred between the motivations guiding women
to defend their own rights and the stimulus leading the men to advocate women
rights came out. The social reforms and policies of the rulers of the time followed
by the ideology were stressed on the women education as the first significant step,
their duties in breeding the children, and thirdly, their role in family life and in the
social progress.
Naturally, the government policies were also influential on women issues. The
abrupt political, social, ideological and economic conversion of the Second
Constitutional period shaped the thoughts of the Ottoman intelligentsia including
the enlightened women. The idea of national economy arose and historical
consciousness which would create a sense of national identity which gained

6
significance in the wake of socio-political and ideological transformation. The
Ottoman intellectuals and Ottoman bureaucrats were the pioneers of these changes,
and the Ottoman enlightened women were either taking place due to their social
origins from these elite families, or they were seeking their own place within such
transformation. Under the circumstances it was so natural to follow the process of
the transformation through the women‟s periodicals. Constitutionalism and the
other political developments of the ruling elite were enthusiastically welcome by
women‟s periodicals. This was common issue for many women‟s periodicals of
this period. However, there is an important women‟s periodical which differed
from the others in terms of its staff of authors, its regular published life and the
political effects its issues brought. This periodical was Kadınlar Dünyası.
Kadınlar Dünyası which was the official publication of Osmanlı Müdafaa-i
Hukuk-ı Nisvan Cemiyeti (Society for the Defense of Ottoman Women‟s Rights) is
worthy of evaluating in terms of the leading socio-political and historical
understanding of the period. A detailed survey on the articles published in the
periodical gives the reader a wide opportunity to follow the imprints of politics
conducted by the ruling elites and the general characteristics of Ottoman women‟s
movement of the period mentioned above. Kadınlar Dünyası which focused on this
thesis often gave place to the articles stimulating the idea of national identity,
consciousness of history and a corporate enthusiasm for social and economic
development. Thus, the last chapter of this thesis is allocated to analyze and sort
out the articles in the periodical written by women who tried to keep in touch with
the problems, priorities, sensitivities and policies of the period. After giving an
7
account for the information about the history and the writers of the periodical, this
work will evaluate the outlook of women through three subtitles. Initially, the
articles in the first 100 issues of the periodical published in 1913 will be analyzed
in terms of the ideas on the politics of education. Then, this study will bring out the
historical understanding of the periodical‟s writers. And lastly the articles in the
periodical will be questioned in accordance with the idea of “national economy”.
The evaluation directed to the fields of education, history and economy will be
carried out by keeping the main question of this thesis in mind. This is whether the
movement, which naturally led the Ottoman women to recognize their own
identities and rights, brought about by giving consciousness of their femininity or it
was accepted as a symbolic instrument by the modernist and nationalist ruling men
in the way of implementing their political projects. In other words, the study will
question whether the women struggling for their own rights were regarded as
objects by the modernist elite, or the women of the Second Constitutional Era were
not able to overcome their inevitable faith of being a “historical subject” albeit their
considerable progress in this era?
In order to be able to offer a more systematic historical outline of women issue
many different sources are utilized as far as possible. Instead of including in all
important historical events, the historical facts concerning the “women question”
were outlined by keeping the main questions of the thesis in mind. The first three
chapter of this thesis are mostly based on second hand historical sources. Unlike
the first three chapters which would be defined as preparatory stages for the last
chapter, the final chapter is based on mostly first hand sources. As the main issue
8
of the thesis, the periodical of Kadınlar Dünyası is the most frequently used first
hand source. Other periodicals and newspapers of the period were also referred to
reinforce analysis derived from the period when it was published in 1913 until its
first interruption in the same year. Through the readings on the original texts of the
periodical‟s daily issues as a consequence of detailed studies carried out in the
Women's Library and Information Centre of İstanbul, the perception of the
periodical about “women question” in the Ottoman society is attempted to be
revealed. As the main questions pointed of this thesis, the periodical was evaluated
under three main titles, education, historical consciousness and economy which are
the issues where the guidelines of socio-political thinking of the time can be
discovered.
9
CHAPTER I
A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF WOMEN’S POSITION IN TURKISH
SOCIETY UNTIL THE IMPERIAL EDICT OF 1839
Albeit the fact that the subject matter of this thesis is Kadınlar Dünyası with
reference to the women in society, economy and politics during the first years of
Second Constitutional Era, the social and historical developments concerning will
help the comprehension of the topic. In this study the reader will be informed about
the social status of women in the Ottoman Empire before the 20th century.
Furthermore, to be able to access the reader beyond the lines of the articles in
Kadınlar Dünyası and penetrate into the social and historical facts explained
through many different articles in the magazine, an historical outline will be given
beginning from the early Turks in Central Asia.
It is the fact that the reemergence of women into the society and relative
restoration of their status in family and social life in the course of time this study
covers is not the consequence of an organized activism based on an ideology
claiming of women rights. In fact, it was not much more than a rehabilitation of
Turkish women who were active in society and lost their prominent position
considerably after the adoption of Islam by Turkish society. Gaining consciousness
in terms of women‟s “coexistence” with the men in all spheres of life and the steps
taken on this purpose were the outcomes of a political indoctrination. To
understand the mechanism of women‟s withdrawal from family and social life in
10
its historical context is of great importance in comprehending that the women‟s
gains in terms of their right during the Tanzimat and Constitutional eras. However,
what kind of a role the women held in the society before their withdrawal and
isolation would be analyzed and to give a complete picture of the latest
developments would be discussed.
It is necessary to examine the situation of women in Ottoman society by
making periodization in itself, in order to explain the stages of the setback of
Ottoman women subjected until the Tanzimat era. As a turning point both for the
Ottoman society and also Ottoman women, the Tanzimat era will be taken up as
separate from the former ages of Ottoman history. So, in this chapter, it will be
summarized women‟s situation in social, economic and cultural life in its historical
context beginning from early Turks in Central Asia to the declaration of Gülhane
Hattı in 1839.
Firstly it will be evaluated the women figure in old Turkish tradition and given
account for the characteristics of the relation between men and women. The second
historical phase discussed in the same chapter covers the period between the
recognition of Islam by Turks which remarks a landmark in the history of women
and all Turkish society and the rise of the Ottoman Empire.
11
1.1. The Woman in the Old Turkish Tradition
In the old Turkish society, the women in social life were much apparent than
their contemporaries1. The Turkish women were accepted equal with men and
highly respected2. In old Turkish states of Central Asia women were legally equal
with the men thanks to religious celestials of Gok Tengri, Shamanism and Taoism3.
Monogamy was a principle and common practice. Polygamy was seen only in
dynasty and richest families4. As well as being independent, Turkish women had
the right of private ownership and inheritance.
The Orhkun Inscriptions of 8th century, which is the most important source of
Turkish history and social life in Central Asia, tells about some women active in
administration of the country and had political impact on Khan. Khatun, the wife of
Khan, has come into her post with a ceremony like Khan and sometimes had
governed the country with the Khan. According to the Kökturk and Uyghur
traditions, the imperial edicts were signed not only by Khan but also by Khatun.
Some Khatuns had armies and palaces for themselves. Khatun sat on the left side of
the Khan during some ceremonies and in envoys‟ receptions; and stated her ideas
1 Şefika Kurnaz, Cumhuriyet Öncesinde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları,
1997, p. 10.
2 Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını (1908-1960), Ankara: Atatürk
Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p. 1.
3 Gülden Ertuğrul, Atatürk ve Kadın Hakları, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi Dergisi, Cilt: 8, Sayı: 22,
Kasım 1991, p.55.
1997, p. 10.
12
concerning political and governmental issues and also undertook serious
responsibilities in administration5.
At pre-Islamic societies, women had many social and legal rights. Women had
equal marital rights. Having the right of inheritance, the women had an equal
parental right with their husband over their children. Additionaly, when a girl
would marry, the groom‟s family had to give a certain amount of money or goods 6
to the bride‟s family. There was no discrimination between sons and daughters.
Unlike being a misfortune, the birth of a daughter was a very happy incident for
Turkish families. Daughters were just as valuable and cheerished as sons and they
had also the right of inheritance7.
It is a fact that women in pre-Islamic Turkish society were equal participants
with men in the family and in almost all parts of social life: mother at home, farmer
on the ground, merchant in the market and even soldier in the war. Furthermore,
the influence of women over social and political life was so apparent8.
5 Laszlo Rasonyi, Tarihte Türklük, Ankara: Türk Kültürünü Araştırma Enstitüsü Yayınları, 1971, p.
57.
6 The money or goods given by the family of the groom is called “kalıng”. See. (İlber Ortaylı,
“Anadolu‟da Evlilik İşlemleri Üzerine Bazı Gözlemler”, Başbakanlık Aile Yazıları I., Ankara: T. C.
Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu Yayını, 1990, p.279; Şefika Kurnaz, Cumhuriyet Öncesinde
Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları, 1997, p. 10).
7
Latife Kabaklı Çimen, Türk Töresinde Kadın ve Aile, İstanbul: IQ Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık, 2008,
pp. 171- 172.
8
pp. 197- 214.
13
1.2. Turkish Women in Social Life after the Adoption of Islam
After adoption of Islam by the Turks, a new way of life and a different social
system came into existence. Islamic Law became the basis for the construction of
social life for Turks roughly from 10th century on. Islam gave rise to some changes
in the life of women as well. The new religion laid the ground for a deep
transformation in the family and brought many new rules concerning the family life
and the status of women in the society. Turkish women lost their higher former
status both in social and family life and became less apparent at outdoors.
Religious rules and practices, and more remarkably the impact of Iranian, Arabian
and Byzantine cultures together with also incorrect interpretations, made up
practices and abuses brought about deterioration in respect of social status of
women9. However, the changes were not striking the status of women.
In the Karahanid state, founded in 840 by the Turkish tribes and in the Seljukid
Empire, a Turkish-Islamic state has ruled over the parts of Central Asia, Middle
East and Asia Minor between 11th and 14th centuries, women have maintained their
role in social and cultural life even though their participation and influence on
social life has considerably eroded. It is possible to coincide with many strong
women figure in early Turkish-Islamic states like Gevher Nesibe Khatun of the
Seljukids as the founder of a significant waqf foundation; Altun-Can Khatun, the
9
Tezer Taşkıran, Cumhuriyetin 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık Kültür
Müsteşarlığı Yayınları, 1973, p.15; Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını
(1908-1960), Ankara: Atatürk Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi,
1998, p. 1.
14
mother of Tugrul Begh and Terken Khatun, the mother of Sultan Melikshah as
strong political figures and also Fatma Bacı, the wife of Ahi Evran, as the founder
of Bacıyan-ı Rum10 which was a strong organization in social and economic life11.
Additionally, there were women warriors during the time of the Anatolian
Seljukids and Anatolian principalities. Following the death of Kılıçarslan I., the
Khatun in Malatya ruled over in the name of his son Tuğrul Arslan. Also, through
the Atabeg12 she appointed for his son, she interfered in significant political
activities and decided to fight or invade. Also, it is stated that there was a
Turkoman military unit consist of 30.000-100.000 women soldiers owned by the
Dulkadir Principality in the 15th century13.
Although Islam advices monogamy, it also approves polygamy in the cases of
illness, infertility. This meant a loss of status for the Turkish women who had been
equal with men and had not taken part in polygamous household. Also, the men‟
inharitance property was higher than women according to Islamic rules and two
10
Baciyan-ı Rum founded by Turkmen women has considerably contributed to the establishment,
structuring and development of Turkish folk culture all over the Asia Minor. The organization
which worked as a women branch of the Ahi Organization undertook many social responsibilities
and also accommodated the Turkmen immigrants came to Anatolia and help them to settle down.
Furthermore, they participated in defense of cities against sieges. To illustrate, the women in
Baciyan-ı Rum have defended Kayseri against Mongols in 1243. See. Mikail Bayram, Fatma Bacı
ve Baciyan-i Rum, İstanbul: Nüve Kültür Merkezi, 2007.
11
Şefika Kurnaz, Cumhuriyet Öncesinde Türk Kadını,İstanbul : Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları,
1997, p.12.; Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını (1908-1960), Ankara:
Atatürk Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p. 1.
12
The guardians appointed for minor princes of the Seljukid line who were nominally set over
garrisons in provinces.
13
Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını (1908-1960), Ankara: Atatürk
15
women‟s testimonies in the court was equal with one man‟s14. However, in some
exceptional sitations, one women‟s testimony would be admitted in the courts15. On
the other hand, there was no hindrance in the participation of women in social and
cultural life. To illustrate, the Muslim women were free in trading and use of their
own property. As well as commanding the obedience of women to men‟s authority,
Islam also charged men with treating their wife fairly. Although, only the men had
divorce right, Islam does not approve it unless inescapable situations and obliges
men and only by giving a certain amount of money called mihr to the bride in the
case of divorce16.
Many scholars affirm that the status and role of women in Turkish society has
gradually changed after Islam. To illustrate, Yılmaz Öztuna states that the Turkish
women have experienced a negative change in their status in societal structure
following the acceptance of Islam17. Nermin Abadan Unat argues that the status of
Turkish women has changed deeply after the Turkish settlements being exposed to
14
pp. 252- 254.
15
p. 253.
1997, p. 11; Tezer Taşkıran, Cumhuriyetin 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık
Kültür Müsteşarlığı Yayınları, 1973, pp.14-15.
17 Yılmaz Öztuna, Cumhuriyet Dönemi Öncesinde Türkler, İstanbul: Babıali Kültür Yayınları,
2004, p. 226.
16
Arabian expansionism in 7th century and she claims the reason for Turkish
women‟s loss status. She attributed the reason for women‟s isolation to Islam itself
and its law Sheriat18.
Yet, there are many different points of view on the reasons for such a
transformation. According to some scholars like Şefika Kurnaz19, Leyla Kaplan20,
Burhan Göksel and İlber Ortaylı the only reason for Turkish women‟s withdrawal
from society is not only Islam itself and its rules21. Amongst them, Ortaylı asserts
that the essential factor for the withdrawal of Turkish women from the social life
was the atmosphere arose from geographical features and he claims that religious
differences were not determinant on men-women relations in the Ottoman
society22. İsmail Doğan agrees with İlber Ortaylı and claims that Turkish women‟s
isolation from social life was due to the transition of sedentary settlement. He states
that the seperation of women and men‟s life spaces was a natural outcome of the
requisites that the settled life produced and social interrelations it necessitated23.
18
N. Abadan Unat, “Toplumsal Değişme ve Türk Kadını”, Türk Toplumunda Kadın, İstanbul:
Araştırma, Eğitim, Ekin Yayınları, 1982, p. 8.
19
Şefika Kurnaz, Cumhuriyet Öncesinde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları,
1997, p. 12.
20
Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını (1908- 1960), Ankara: Atatürk
21
Burhan Göksel, Çağlar Boyunca Türk Kadını ve Atatürk, Ankara: Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları,
1993.
22
İlber Ortaylı, Osmanlı Toplumunda Aile, İstanbul: Pan Yayıncılık, 2001, pp. 118- 119.
23
İsmail Doğan, Osmanlı Ailesi, Ankara: Yeni Türkiye Yayınları, 2001, p. 25.
17
As it is acknowledged that the adoption of Islam by the Turks relatively
coincided with their transition from nomadic or semi-nomadic life to the settled
one, it is very difficult to determine which factor (geography, the essence of Islam
itself or the impact of other civilizations and cultures) is the only or most
determinant in the segregation of women. However, there is a certain point that the
Turkish women lost their higher position in social structure after the time period
coincide with the acceptance of Islam in comparison with the early Turkic
communities. The restrictions of women in society were not valid to only early
Islamization in Turkish communities and states. Especially the period between the
16th century and the proclamation of the Imperial Edict in 1839 also witnessed the
decline of women‟s social status and function under the reign of the Ottoman
dynasty.
1.3. Women in Ottoman Society until the Tanzimat Era
It is hard to find ample documentation concerning the status of the women in
society from the very beginning of the Ottoman state especially up to 16th century.
However, researchers states that women in Ottoman society were not so restricted
and they were generally participant in social life. The Ottoman women could have
possession of some goods and estates, and they were active in commercial life. The
women having real estate could operate or sell their belongings even to non-
Muslims. Furthermore, if the estates of women were sold by their husbands or sons
without their consent, the sale could be canceled. However, there was a paradoxical
difference between the situation of the women in cities and rural areas. While, the
18
women in the countryside were relatively active in social life through productive
activities, the women in cities were not so apparent in social life. It was normal to
see many women farming together with men and they were not as separate as the
women in cities. The urban women had to be much more strictly cloistered24. The
daily life of women especially during the reign of some certain Sultans was harder
than the others. While under the reign of Mehmet the II (1451- 1481), women were
less restricted and they did not have to cover all of their heads and they could freely
walk around with open faces as Ahmet Refik states25, Osman the III (1754- 1757)
forbid women to go out of their homes in three days of the week when the Sultan
customarily patrolled the capital and they were forced to be cloistered. The women
who disobeyed this rule were punished26. Especially beginning from 16th century,
the relatively firm position of women in social and family life mainly in palace and
urban areas affected rural communities and women being separated from men in
private life even in the house gradually became customary throughout the
country27. The harem of the palace was imitated by ordinary people and the
women were excluded both physically and spiritually from community life.
24
1997, p. 13; Tezer Taşkıran, Cumhuriyetin 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık
Kültür Müsteşarlığı Yayınları, 1973, p.19.
25
Ahmet Refik Altınay, Kadınlar Saltanatı, İstanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, 2000, pp. 18- 19.
26
Şehmus Güzel, “Tanzimat‟tan Cumhuriyet‟e Toplumsal Değişim ve Kadın”, Tannzimat’tan
Cumhuriyet’e Türkiye Ansiklopedisi, Vol. III., İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 1981, p. 858.
27
Günseli Özkaya, Tarih İçinde Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Yayınları,
1985, p. 13.
19
In fact, up to the 19th century, women could not receive scanty education. In
Ottoman society even boys were not properly educated simply because modern
schools were not existant, the girls had no right to attend schools apart from sibyan
mektebi (primary school), giving only the very basic level of religious knowledge.
Education in these schools did not include the teaching of the sciences, of foreign
languages and also art was banned. There was no opportunity to widen the
worldview and perception of life under the heavy influence of religion28. Despite
this restrictive approach to keep women removed from all types of social activities
and to not provide them taking proper education, it was possible to encounter with
some women who received education from special instructors in their houses
thanks to their enlightened fathers29.
In addition to socially inferior position of women in Ottoman communities, the
judicial system also treated them as secondary. To illustrate, women had almost no
chance to choose their husbands or refuse the candidates. Moreover, according to
religious law, only men were entitled to the custody of children in case of divorce
which was also dependent on the decision of men merely. Additionally, in the
family, daughters‟ right of inheritance was half of the sons‟ and testimony of
women in courts were not equal with the men30 . However, unlike most of scholars
28
Seçil Karal Akgün, “Women‟s Emancipation in Turkey”, Turkish Studies Association Bulletin,
Issue: 10, 1986, p. 2.
29
Burhan Göksel, Çağlar Boyunca Türk Kadını ve Atatürk, Ankara: Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları,
1993, p. 131.
30
Emel Doğramacı, Türkiye’de Kadının Dünü ve Bugünü, Ankara: İş Bankası Kültür Yayını, 1997,
p. 5.
20
who state that the legal status of women was not be improved from the 16th century
until the Tanzimat era, some other scholars who argue that women had rights of
complaint and self defense under law before the 19th century at least some vicinities
with the effects of Westernization attempts. Zarinebah- Shahr tries to prove this
claim by studying the frequency in submission of petitions and complaints by
women to the courts of Istanbul while Kurnaz stating that the wives who were ill
treated by their husbands could appeal to courts and also even to the Grand
Vizier31.
Furthermore, there were many women as the founders of some waqfs operating
as donations and also libraries, hospitals and medreses32. The ratio in the number of
waqfs founded by women is so impressing according to Kurnaz, it is one-third of
all waqfs throughout the empire33. Nevertheless, while writing about the waqfs and
women Sultans, it is wise to keep in mind that those institutions were established in
a way, as means to provide them income.
As it is expressed through an historical summary and some examples above,
the isolation of women from society was not an overall process. There are some
differentiating examples on the status of women after the adoption of Islam and on
31
Fariba Zarinebah- Shahr, “Osmanlı Kadınları ve 18. Yüzyılda Adalet Arama Geleneği”,
Modernleşmenin Eşiğinde Osmanlı Kadınları (ed. Madeline C. Zılfı), İstanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yurt
Yayınları: 2000,p. 245; Şefika Kurnaz, Cumhuriyet Öncesinde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim
Bakanlığı Yayınları, 1997, pp. 12- 13.
32
Günseli Özkaya, Tarih İçinde Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Yayınları,
1985, p. 16.
33
1997, p. 13.
21
the other hand scholars state different and sometimes contradictory ideas especially
on the reasons for the segregation of women. In addition, the status of the women
in rural society was not same with the ones in the city. While the women in big
cities gradually retreated from social life and were forced to hide behind their veils,
the women living in rural areas enjoyed a considerable freedom and appeared next
to men more often. To continue, women‟s alienation from social life was not so
strongly felt in earlier Ottoman state but after the adaptation of a different lifestyle
as the Ottoman state expanded to East-world and social system based on Islamic
Law and growing effect of religious rules on one hand, and influence of Arabian,
Iranian and Byzantine cultures on the other hand, the role of women in social,
cultural, economic life was gradually lost just like their judicial rights. However, it
is mostly agreed that whatever the reason women were not the equal partners of the
men and a line was drawn between men and women as haremlik-selamlık
(women‟s being separate from men) both physically and mentally.
The coming out of a consciousness on the way of questioning the backward
position of women in society was not earlier than the beginning of 19th century.
The Ottoman state has experienced a structural transition under the effect of
political, economic, social, ideological, educational and administrative changes
with the Tanzimat reforms, and the Ottoman women were also affected by these
changes. The impact of process was not restricted to politics. The social structure
was also reconstructed through reform movements. The effect of changes oriented
by modernist ideas encircled also the women whose roles had restricted with being
only a good wife and mother despite some exceptional examples. The demands in
22
the way of reinstating the status of women were heralded more loudly with the
intensification of modernist ideas and actions. The development throughout the
Tanzimat era can be accepted as the turning point in terms of women interests.
Therefore, the change in the status of women in the Tanizmat is worthy to be
evaluated in the next chapter.
23
CHAPTER II
OTTOMAN WOMEN FROM TANZIMAT TO THE SECOND
CONSTITUTIONAL ERA
The preliminary stage of dramatic changes in the life of Ottoman women began
in the Second Constitutional era and continued afterward. However, the Tanzimat
reforms were also of great importance since it was a period in which many attempts
in the way of expressing the problems of women, raising consciousness of their
womanhood and making legal arrangements exalting the status of women have
started. The Ottoman women were granted with the rights especially in education
and law. The Tanzimat era was also the period during the problems of women
began to be expressed in literature and also in the press to some extent. In fact, the
political conjuncture of the time was very determining in the developments
concerning the position of women in society. That is why this chapter will start
with a short review of political developments of the Tanzimat era. Next, the
developments in education and legal system in favor of women will be analyzed
and lastly the literary world as important sources of research to explain the
women‟s world in the time of Tanzimat will be explored.
2.1. Summary of Political Developments during the Tanzimat Era
The Edict of Gülhane was a “charte” of legal, fiscal, administrative and military
rights marked the beginning of series of domestic reforms inspired by the West.
24
Although many social, economic and political reforms began with the end of the
18th century, the Rescript of Gülhane was the first imperial document presenting a
formal reform program. The Tanzimat Edict essentially was composed by Mustafa
Reşid Pasha34 and supported by the British government. This resulted in deep
British impact on the document concerns in the fields of administration, education
and legislation35. The centralization of imperial authority which was an earlier
operation set out under the reign of Mahmud II deepened with consecutively
regulations36.
With the imperial rescript, it was assured the security of life, property and
honor of entire people of all religions. According to Bernard Lewis, this was a very
bold move for the times37. It was a considerably important regulation aiming to
develop the allegiance of the Ottoman community towards the state and to gather
entire Ottoman society regardless of their religion around such an egalitarian
principle of which far reaching consequence would be the unity and stabilization of
34
Mustafa Reşid Pasha who was born in 1800 in İstanbul was the ambassador of Ottoman Empire
between 1834- 1836. After his assignment in London as the ambassador, he was appointed to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Sultan in 1837. He was assigned to the post of Grand Vizier six
times. Throughout his state service dedicated himself to the reformation of the Ottoman State. Reşid
Pasha who is known as the father of Tanzimat reforms convinced the Sultan Abdülmecid to the
Declaration of Gülhane Rescript and marked the beginning of a new phase in the Ottoman Empire
as a dedicated reformer. For further information, see: Stanford J. Shaw and Ezel Kural Shaw,
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ve Modern Türkiye, Vol II, Reform Devrim ve Cumhuriyet: Modern
Türkiye’nin Doğuşu 1808- 1975, İstanbul: E Yayınları, 2010, pp. 90- 98.
35
Deniz Kandiyoti, Women, Islam and the State, London: Macmillan Press, 1991, p. 24.
36
Kumari Jayawardena, Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World, London: Zed Books, 1994,
p. 27.
37
Bernard Lewis, The Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, pp. 149- 150.
25
Ottoman people.
In 1841 Mustafa Reşid Pasha was discharged from his post and the reforms
were interrupted for four years. Following his return to administarive position as
Grand Vizier in 1845, Reşid Pasha gave a great effort to disperse the new
principles in every sphere of administration. Education was also included into the
agenda of reforms. Modern education was incepted in parallel to the religious
educational system. Both the coming of modern educational institutions and the
introduction of state control of the waqfs, the independent position of the ulema
was limited. A new class of imperial Ottoman bureaucrats who tried to secure in
their position through the modern bureaucratic hierarchy became the impetus for
the reform movement. Power was increasingly concentrated at the heads of this
new type of imperial bureaucrats who were the agents for the centralization of
power. As the necessity of their new role Tanzimat bureaucracy adapted to the
requirements of modernization and donated in the ideals and expectations of the
West. Apart from the ulema trained in the medreses, a new milieu received
education with going to West or in newly established schools organized on the
European model in the Empire emerged as officials and mostly bureaucrats
working for the state. They learned foreign languages from the teachers who were
coming from abroad. The acknowledgements of modern West they got through
their westernized education firstly affected their life superficially, in their atires,
ornaments, behavior and this influence gradually penetrated into their mentality
and ideology.
26
The changes that emerged in the social sphere due to the exported modernist
ideology and relatively egalitarian perception that settled through the
implementation by Tanzimat reforms, also affected the Ottoman women. Even
though the Gülhane Rescript did not specially include articles regarding women,
the changing mindset of the time had an impact on women. Thus period from
Tanzimat to the Second Constitutional era is called “introduction to new
perspectives” with regards to women‟s rights38. These new perspectives regarding
social position of women gave rise to many changes in different areas such as
juristiction, education, literature and press.
2.2. Ottoman Women and Their Judicial Rights
Ottoman women had suffered setbacks which limited greatly their rights until
the Tanzimat era, acquired some improvements in different subjects of legal
regulations. One of the essential developments for women was the submission of
Ottoman women the right of marriage before the kadı in 184139. Additionally, an
imperial edict issued in 1844 enabled girls‟ own consent for marriage and forbid
başlık (the dowry). The marriage was subjected to lots of legal regulations,
gradually fascilitated following the Edict of Tanzimat for the state aimed to discard
38
Tezer Taşkıran, Cumhuriyet’in 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık Kültür
Müsteşarlığı Yayınları, 1973, p. 25.
39
Şirin Tekeli, “Birinci ve İkinci Dalga Feminist Hareketlerin Karşılaştırmalı İncelemesi Üzerine
Bir Deneme”, 75 Yılda Kadınlar ve Erkekler, İstanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yayınları, 1998, p. 340.
27
the negative effect of some local traditions and to eliminate of the hindrances in
front of population growth40.
As important arrangements issued by imperial decrees submitted in 1854 and
1857, slavery was abolished for white slaves firstly and then for the blacks as well.
Albeit of this legislative change, the trade of cariyes (concubines) continued, as the
two decrees could not be enforced in practice. Some concubines continued to exist
in and also outside the Ottoman palace41. The law abolished concubines and
slavery decreased the proportion of the usage of concubines as odalisques (co-
wives) among the common people42.
One of the other important subjects was the right of inheritance. Women in
Ottoman Empire had no right of inheritance directly until almost the end of 1840s.
Only sons could inherit property without any land registry fee. Some arrangements
were done for altering disordered system of land adjustment and these
arrangements led up to the 1858 Land Code. Land Code of 1858 composed of 132
articles brought about many remarkable regulations containing of the inheritance of
daughters as both sons and daughters could have equal property rights without any
land registry fee over the miri arazi (state owned land).
40
Fatmagül Berktay, “Osmanlı‟dan Cumhuriyet‟e Femnizm, Cumhuriyete Devreden Düşünce
Mirası: Tanzimat ve Meşrutiyet Birkikimi, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2009, p.355.
41
1997, p. 55.
42
28
Ömer Lütfü Barkan expressed that the third article of the Land Code covers the
right of inheritance of the daughters over the state owned land inherited from their
fathers like their brothers. According to Barkan, this Land Code was to be a
revolutionary regulation in respect of the law of inheritance. Up to the Land Code
regulations, daughters only had the right of inheritance if they would not have any
brothers and with paying the registry fee for the inherited land. However, with the
regulations of this Land Code, the girls and then the women in the family could
claim their right of inheritance over the land43. This Land Code was the most
important regulation supporting women between the Tanzimat and the Second
Constitutional Era44.
As the most important legal regulation of civil law in 19th century, the Mecelle
codified by Ahmet Cevdet Pasha45, approved the measurements laid by the Land
Code of 1858 and did not bring any additional arrangement related to women and
their rights46.
43 Ömer Lütfi Barkan, “Türk Toprak Hukuku Tarihinde Tanzimat, 1274 (1858) Tarihli Arazi
Kanunnamesi”, Tanzimat I, Birinci Baskı. Ankara: Milli Egitim Basımevi, 1940, p. 360
44 Şirin Tekeli, Kadınlar ve Siyasal Toplumsal Hayat, İstanbul: Birikim Yayınları, 1982. pp.1-62.
45
Being one of the most prominent intellectual and statesman of Tanzimat era, Ahmet Cevdet Pasha
held many significant ranks in the office such as the governorship of some provinces and ministries.
He was also an important reformist. However, “historian” may be the most important title given him
because he wrote down probably the most significant historical work of that time, Tarih-i Cevdet,
and also the other important histories like Tezakir, Mâruzat and Kısas-ı Enbiya. In addition to being
a prominent historian, Cevdet Pasha also participated in the preparation of two important legal
documents such as Mecelle and Düstur as a qualified jurist.
46
Mehmet Akif Aydın, “Osmanlılarda Aile Hukukunun Tarihi Tekamülü”, Sosyo- Kültürel Değişim
Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol. II, Ankara: T. C. Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu Yayını, 1992, p.
445.
29
2.3. Ottoman Women and Education
It was already the end of the 18th century when Ottoman statesmen finally
realized the social, economic and cultural gaps between the Empire and the
Western nations and started to take measures to bridge this gap. A great movement
of westernization started. The classical Ottoman education system was regarded as
a major factor causing the decline of the Empire. Consequently, introduction of the
westernized of schools was followed with many changes that affected society as a
whole. To educate young girls through a public education was a very new idea that
emerged just after the proclamation of the imperial edict47. To breed the educated
women for the progress of the society, the newly established intellectuals
encouraged the Ottoman state to initiate new schools for girls. This was one of the
most vital issues to be solved through the reforms held by the state48. As an
instructor stated:
Take away the poor knowledge from the minds of the intelligent Turkish women
and replace it with sciences, give her twenty years and you‟ll be amazed to note
what kind of a generation she‟ll bring up for the society. Today Turkish women are
totally ignorant. There is probably only one literate woman in a thousand. When
the mothers are equipped with enough knowledge to give a scientific initial
47
Emel Doğramacı, Türkiye’de Kadının Dünü ve Bugünü, Ankara: İş Bankası Kültür Yayını, 1997,
p. 19.
48
Afet İnan, Atatürk ve Türk Kadın Haklarının Kazanılması, Milli Eğitim Basımevi, İstanbul,
1964, p. 80.
30
training to their children, then they can be the initial and actual instructors of the
future youth49.
Foundation of the vocational schools for women started with the Tanzimat Era.
The initiation of training courses in 1842 by foreign teachers to educate women as
midwives at Tıbbiye Mektebi (Medical School) was the first attempt for vocational
women education50. In 1845, ten Muslims and twenty six non-Muslim students
were graduated from these courses. The women completed theses courses are
regarded as the first women educated in vocational schools51.
While the only educational institution open for girls apart from vocational
schools was the sıbyan mektebs (primary schools), with the Tanzimat regulations
the facilities for girls in education were extended. Rüşdiyes (new secondary
schools) and vocational schools were opened during the reform era and some
rearrangements were implied on the educational institutions already operated. The
reorganization of primary level of education firstly started with the Imperial Edicts
of 1845 and 1847 which prolonged the duration of primary education up to four
49
Quoted by Seçil Karal Akgün, “Women’s Emancipation in Turkey”, Turkish Studies Association
Bulletin, Issue: 10, 1986, pp. 2- 3 from Enver Ziya Karal, Osmanlı Tarihi Vol. VII, Ankara, 1977, p.
199.
50
51
Bernard Caporal, Kemalizm ve Kemalizm Sonrasında Türk Kadını, Ankara: Türkiye İş Bankası
Kültür Yayınları, 1982, p. 105.
31
years and ordered primary schools to prepare their students for the secondary level
of education52.
With the declaration of Maarif-i Umumiye Nizamnamesi53 (The Regulation
of Public Education) in 1869, primary education was made compulsory for girls
between the age of six and eleven. It also bid that if there is more than one primary
school in a city or district, one should be allocated for girls. This edict also brought
new changes to rüşdiyes and kız rüşdiyes opened in 1859. Nevertheless, at the end
of the 19th century, there were only nine rushtiyes for the girls54. In each girl‟s
school, there were just more than three hundred students.55
Moving from the necessity of women teachers in order to spread women‟s
education over the country, Darülmuallimat (the teacher training school) for
women was opened as a vocational school in 1870. Among the entire movement of
women‟s education, the Darüulmuallimat holds a special place since the increase
in the number of women graduates provided teachers in newly established primary
and secondary schools56.
52
1997, p. 19.
53
According to the decree, the primary schools primary schools (sıbyan mektebs) were renamed
with ibtidaiyes, secondary schools were called rushtiyes, the preparation of high schools were
idadiyes, high schools were named sultaniyes and the private schools or universities were called
aliyes. See: Bernard Caporal, Kemalizm ve Kemalizm Sonrasında Türk Kadını, Ankara: Türkiye İş
Bankası Kültür Yayınları, 1982, p. 104.
54
Seçil Karal Akgün, “Women’s Emancipation in Turkey”, Turkish Studies Association Bulletin,
Issue: 10, 1986, p. 3
55
Enver Ziya Karal, Osmanlı Tarihi Vol. VIII, Ankara, 1983, p. 378.
56
1997, p. 19.
32
Apart from the expansion of official women‟s schools in the empire, there were
some other educational opportunities for girls such as the missionary schools.
These schools brought girls advanced education and a new worldview of Western
way of thinking and Western ideals. Moreover, girls in these schools had chance to
learn foreign languages57. Moreover, the foreign women teachers of these schools
were to be the role models of the enlightened Ottoman women of future
generations.
As an extension of the arrangements about the vocational schools, kız sanayi
mektebi (the first women‟s industrial school) was opened in 1869 in Istanbul with
the efforts of Mithad Pasha. As the number of vocational schools increased the
three-year vocational courses for the women of all ages was opened with the
industrial schools58.
The common belief that “the educated girl becomes a witch”59 began to change
during the Tanzimat era and the awareness of the necessity to educate girls as well
as boys increased. To illustrate, Abdul Bey, who was the Deputy of Yanya,
complained about the rudeness of community in one of his speeches:
57
Issue: 10, 1986, p. 3.
58
59
Issue: 10, 1986, p. 3.
33
There is no attempt for the educating women for the reason that we do not see the
women as an individual. However, this is not known that the training of males
depends on the women education. If a mother has no education, the children also
would have no values of ethic and morality60.
Abdul Bey was not the only men attributing special attention on the importance
of women‟s education. Similar to Abdul Bey‟s intention, many other male
intellectuals demended for women‟s education in order that qualified education of
next generations could only possible through well educated mothers.
The whole efforts for the improvement of women education and the change of
the mindset toward the Ottoman women ensured that they came on the scene of
Ottoman social life. The educated Ottoman women began to participate in working
life firstly as teachers and then as workers in industry.
2.4. Ottoman Women in Literature
Beginning from the second half of the 19th century, the new intelligentsia
affected by Western ideas commenced to express their thoughts through the new
journals and some literary works of that period. They wrote down articles on many
different social and political subjects. Women and problems they encountered were
60
34
among the popular issues debated on. At first, the defenders voicing women‟s
rights in literary works and periodicals were all men. The well among these authors
were, Namık Kemal, Ahmet Midhat, Şemsettin Sami, Şinasi and Abdülhak Hamid.
Their major issue about women was education and they were mostly interested in
urban women61. According to them, the traditions prevented the education of
women. With their articles, the intellectuals tried to make the Ottoman society
conscious of that one of the most significant obstacle in front of social equality and
freedom is oppressing traditions which are mostly superstitions actually. To
illustrate, Namık Kemal, who was one of the Young Ottomans and the adherent of
liberty, wrote in one of his essays as follows:
I wonder if there is another concept besides the sum of all superstitions called
traditions to make this world an ordeal for man? Death is fearful, but it only takes a
minute. Traditions are eternal. A person does not suffer as much from illness or
famine as he does from traditions62.
In his writings, Namık Kemal emphasized on the vitality of educated women
for society in his article titled Maarif (The Education) published in 1872. He stated
that women in Western countries were educated in the same conditions with the
men. According to Kemal, most of teachers were women and they had high status
61
1997, p. 58.
62
Quoted by Seçil Karal Akgün, “Women’s Emancipation in Turkey”, Turkish Studies Association
Bulletin, Issue: 10, 1986, p. 3 from Enver Ziya Karal, Osmanlı Tarihi Vol. VIII, Ankara, 1983, p.
493.
35
in society63. In another article published in İbret titled Aile (The Family), he
complained about the deploring condition of women in family life and society. He
criticized the men (biting) their wives and parents seeing their daughters as
commodity and giving their girls to marry with the men they had never seen before
or not consented64. These are not the only articles on women‟s social status in
Ottoman society; İntibah (The Awakening) and Zavallı Çocuk (The Poor Child)
were the other literary works of Namık Kemal which impressed the position of
women in family life.
Şemsettin Sami was another Young Ottoman writer on women‟s issues.
Kadınlar (Women) was the book in which Sami collected his ideas concerning
women. A very interesting quotation from Kadınlar explicitly reveals his way of
thinking about women: “If educating a man is to plant a tree making a shadow, then
educating a woman is to plant a tree not only making a shadow but also giving fruits.”65
The metaphor in this quotation emphasized on both appreciation of women as
an equal figure of social life with men and also on the importance of women‟s
education. He affirmed that more women were educated, more the society
developed. Because he thought that if women were well educated, they would be
63
Quoted by Tezer Taşkıran, Cumhuriyet’in 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık
Kültür Müsteşarlığı Yayınları, 1973, pp. 33- 34 from İbret 1872, No: 16.
64
Quoted by Tezer Taşkıran, Cumhuriyet’in 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık
Kültür Müsteşarlığı Yayınları, 1973, p. 34 from İbret 1872, No: 56.
65
1997, p. 61.
36
able to train their children properly. Thence, the women could directly contribute to
improvement of society and the country.
Another noteworthy Young Ottoman interested in the issue of women was
İbrahim Şinasi. His well known satirical play Şair Evlenmesi (A Poet‟s Wedding)
written in 1859 is confirmed as one of the leading critiques of the Ottoman
marriage custom66. He strongly disapproved of arranged marriages and cheered
“love marriages” in his book.
One of the most prominent intellectuals of the time, Ahmet Midhat Efendi
handled the position of women in Ottoman society as well. He strongly criticizes
forced marriages and defines concubinage and polygamy as “social illnesses”67. In
his Diplomalı Kız (The Girl with a Diploma), Felsefe-i Zenan (Women‟s
Philosphy), Teehhül (Marriage) and Eyvah (Alas), Ahmet Midhat touched upon the
importance of education for women and denounced ignorance of women and
forced marriages68.
Following the pioneering men authors, some women authors touching upon
women issues and defending the rights of women came into the picture. The most
notable among such women was Fatma Aliye, the daughter of Ahmet Cevdet
66
Sema Uğurcan, “Tanzimat Devrinde Kadının Statüsü”, 150. Yılında Tanzimat, Ankara: Türk
Tarih Kurumu Yayını, 1988, p.506.
67
Deniz Kandiyoti, Women, Islam and the State, London: Macmillan Press, 1991, p. 26.
68
1997, pp.59-60.
37
Pasha. Her ideas were the reflections of a synthesis between Islam and the West.
As she stated in Nisvan-ı Islam (The Muslim Women) where her ideas on women
issues widely take place that Islam was not the reason for backward social position
of women but the men who could not understand the essence of Qur‟an and the
rules of God is the reason of the backwardness69. Fatma Aliye gave primary
importance to family and considered it as the driving force of civilization through
their roles as models so she placed a remarkable emphasis on women‟s education.
Some of her demands in the way of gender equality and also the preservation of
sexual differences mirrored feminist thought of the 19th century in Europe70.
As it is deduced from a general assessment about the literary works of the
period, the education of women, forced marriages and polygamy were the most
expressed issues. The emergence of the discussions on these subjects and interest in
women problems were not essentially a consequence of a settled consciousness of
struggle for the women rights. The demands for the improvement of women‟s
status and rehabilitation of their conditions are substantially for the total
advancement of Ottoman society not only for women‟s emancipation. Most of the
authors interested in women affairs want to see each woman as an educated mother
growing up future generations properly. The emancipation of women was not the
69
Zehra Toska, “Cumhuriyet‟in Kadın İdeali: Eşiği Aşanlar ve Aşamayanlar”, 75 Yılda Kadınlar ve
Erkekler, İstanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yayınları, 1998, p. 74.
70
Serpil Çakır, “Aliye Fatma”, A Biographical Dictionary of Women’s Movement and Feminisms
Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe, 19th and 20th Centuries, ed. Francisca de Hann and the
others, Budapest: Central European University Press, 2006, p. 22.
38
ideal, but the improvement of them was seen as a „requirement‟ for social and
economic development of the country.
Depicting women with self esteem, self confidence and qualified education
in many novels and literary works was actually the doctrinization of the ideal
model of Western women and a formula presented to Ottoman women. Even
though it did not offer too much in the way of struggle for women‟s rights, this
formula paved the way for questioning the situation of women in social and family
life.
2.5. Ottoman Women and Press
The Tanzimat era witnessed the foundation of many newspapers and
periodicals besides a few official ones published in 1831. Following the publication
of several newspapers which were mostly private enterprises, press became the
ground for debates on social and cultural issues and held a central position in the
intellectual life of Istanbul. As it is argued by some scholars such as İlber Ortaylı,
the emergence of newspapers and periodicals and their entrance into the daily lives
of Ottoman people may be considered as the most important event of the
Tanzimat71. Why were so much importance attributed to the appearance of many
periodicals and newspapers that this was the first time the social, political and
71
İlber Ortaylı, “Tanzimat Devri Basın Üzerine Notlar”, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda İktisadi ve
Sosyal Değişim, Makaleler I, Ankara: Turhan Kitabevi, 2000, p. 489.
39
economic problems of the country were debated in the eyewitness of the Ottoman
people.
The first newspaper which was published in Turkish and Arabic was Takvim-i
Mısriyye by Kavalalı Mehmed Ali Pasha in 1828 during his rule in Egypt. The
following one was Takvim- Vekayi (1831), the official newspaper of Ottoman
state72. Ceride-i Havadis was a free enterprise by an Englishman called Churchill.
In this newspaper, many articles on literature, ethic and science were published.
This newspaper also gave place to the articles about theatre and play summaries73.
The Ottoman press was becoming more systematic as the numbers of newspapers
reached to twelve. Two of them were in Turkish and the others were in foreign
languages74. In 1860, Agâh Efendi and İbrahim Şinasi founded Tercüman-ı Ahvâl
which became a platform for discussions and expressions of ideas. Tasvir-ı Efkâr
(1862) gained popularity skill in using purer Turkish in its articles as Tercüman-ı
Ahvâl did. The most important feature of this newspaper is that the editorial board
preferred to give place the articles held history in a scientific manner.
The rise in their numbers and effect put the press a central position within
reform movement. The reforms concerning women and their status in society were
72
Orhan Koloğlu, “Osmanlı Basını: İçeriği ve Rejimi”, Tanzimat’tan Cumhuriyete Türkiye
Ansiklopedisi, Vol. I, İstanbul: İletisim Yayınları, 1981, pp. 69- 70.
73
Emel Aşa, “1869- 1923 Yılları Arasında Yayınlanan Türk Kadın ve Aile Dergileri”, Sosyo-
Kültürel Değişim Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol. III, Ankara: T. C. Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu
Yayını, 1993, p. 966.
74
Orhan Koloğlu, “Osmanlı Basını: İçeriği ve Rejimi”, Tanzimat’tan Cumhuriyete Türkiye
Ansiklopedisi, Vol. I, İstanbul: İletisim Yayınları, 1981, p. 75.
40
also under discussion by many journals and newspapers which dealt with women
and their problems.
Terakki (1868) was a daily political newspaper. Although it was not a paper
special to women, it is known as the first newspaper mentioned the rights of
women. Terakki which defended the rights of women gave place some articles on
the necessity of women‟s education and published essays criticizing polygamy and
forced marriages75. Terakki did not hesitate to give room to the letters of women‟s
complaining the difficulties they encounter with in the social and family life. It also
published a weekly supplement as Terakki-i Muhâdderât which was the first
special women newspaper published 48 issues in 186976. The newspaper interested
in mostly the education of young girls.
Mürebbi-i Muhâdderât was the other women periodical of the time. It started its
publication in 1875 and announced itself as “giving useful information for
women”. It published a supplement named Vakit77. Aile is another periodical that
should be noted here even though it had only three volumes 78 in 1880. Şemsettin
Sami was its editor and Mihran was the owner. Aile published articles on
75
Bernard Caporal, Kemalizm ve Kemalizm Sonrasında Türk Kadını, Ankara: Türkiye İş Bankası
Kültür Yayınları, 1982, p. 55.
76
Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1993, p. 23.
77
Kültürel Değişim Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol. III, Ankara: T. C. Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma
Kurumu Yayını, 1993, p. 966.
78
Kadin Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, İstanbul Kütüphanelerindeki Eski Harfli
Türkçe Kadın Dergileri Bibliyografyası, prepared by Zehra Toska, Serpil Çakır, Tülay Gençtürk,
Sevim Yılmaz, Selmin Kurç, Gökçen Art, Aynur Demirdirek, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1993, p. 2.
41
housekeeping, family games, cooking, health and so on. The periodical was also
the first independent publication for women79.
Mürüvvet was a weekly women supplement of the newspaper Mürüvvet which
gained the support of Abdülhamid II who declared that he was a supporter and
promoter of the publication of women periodicals and newspapers. One of the most
interesting features of this magazine was that it was seperated the publication into
nine different sections according to their topics80. It can be deduced from the
variety of sections based on different subjects that the magazine tried to raise the
level of women‟s culture by increasing sorts of themes women were interested in.
Şüküfezar (1886) was the first journal of which editorial and administrative
boards were totally composed of women. The journal attracted attention with its
interesting abstract giving account for the reason of its publication as:
Women are members of a group always insulted by the men with the expression
„long hairs short wits‟. We will strive for disproving this expression. We never
prefer being women in favor of men or vise versa. We will only work and give
effort to do something correct81.
79
Emel Aşa, “1869- 1923 Yılları Arasında Yayınlanan Türk Kadın ve Aile Dergileri”, Sosyo
Kültürel Değişme Sürecinde Türk Ailesi Vol III, Ankara: T. C. Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu,
1992,p. 966.
80
Kültürel Değişim Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol. III, Ankara: T. C. Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu
Yayını, 1993, p. 967.
81
Aynur Demirdirek, Osmanlı Kadınlarının Hayat Hakkı Arayışının Bir Hikayesi, Ankara: İmge
Kitabevi, 1993, p. 15.
42
Hanımlara Mahsus Gazete which published twice in a week from 1895 to 1906
and once a week up to 1908 is known as the long lasting women periodical of the
Ottoman Empire. Fatma Aliye, Emine Semiye, Nigâr Osman, Leyla Saz, Fatma
Fahrünissa and Gülistan İsmet were the important woman writers of the periodical.
They wrote about women‟s problems and stated that economic dependency was the
reason of the women‟s backward position in society82. The periodical‟s demand for
the equality of women in society was not more than searching for the recovery of
their position as second class citizens. With the international news section, the
periodical was informative about women and their life styles in Europe83. With
both its longevity of publication and also the writers in editorial board, Hanımlara
Mahsus Gazete was the most important periodical until the periodical named
Kadınlar Dünyası was issued in the Second Constitutional Era.
The following facts on women periodicals published during the Tanzimat can
be underlined as: Firstly, apart from Hanımlara Mahsus Gazete, most of the
journals or newspapers were closed down after only a few issues. Secondly, the
women‟s periodicals could not go beyond borders of İstanbul except for Âyine
published in Salonica84. Thirdly, the matters taken up limited to those only
82
Serpil Çakır, “Aliye Fatma”, A Biographical Dictionary of Women’s Movement and Feminisms
Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe, 19th and 20th Centuries, ed. Francisca de Hann and the
others, Budapest: Central European University Press, 2006, p. 22.
83
Aynur Demirdirek, Osmanlı Kadınlarının Hayat Hakkı Arayışının Bir Hikayesi, Ankara: İmge
Kitabevi, 1993, p. 26.
84
Fatma Kılıç Denman, İkinci Meşrutiyet Döneminde Bir Jön Türk Dergisi: Kadın, İstanbul: Libra
Kitapçılık ve Yayıncılık, 2009
43
appealed to Muslim women in the empire. These three reasons prevented women
publication from reaching wide readers.
Women question was discussed within a narrow framework. The main focus of
the periodicals was to educate Turkish women and to elevate their level of culture.
However, their efforts cannot be defined actually as a struggle for rights in its
modern meaning. On the other hand, all of these efforts marked the subsistence of
women themselves and their problems in the press and provided a basis for more
profound future discussions as well as legal regulations concerning the life and the
status of women.
44
CHAPTER III
THE OTTOMAN WOMEN DURING THE CONSTITUTIONAL ERA
The reform movements held in the 19th century as the consequence of
recognition of the West as a modernized civilization next to the Empire. At first,
these reforms mainly consantrated on military renovation for the fortification of the
state and centralization of power. Efforts in the way of modifications on the
administrative system of the empire were carried out in the reign of Selim III and
Mahmud II. The following period, started with the Declaration of Gülhane Rescript
in 1839 witnessed a great deal of transition towards institutionalized bureaucratic,
legal and educational systems. Although the changes during the Tanzimat period
were mostly superficial, they were of great significance owing to being the
products of mental transition of the new born Ottoman intelligentsia. The Tanzimat
reforms were trying to design a normative, systemized, centralized, controllable
administrative and legal system. In fact, this kind of an approach was directed
against the traditional patrimonial structure of the state and society and gave way to
some reactions.
With the rise of Tanzimat bureaucracy which assumed the role of leadership
in conducting the reforms on the way of rationalization and modernization of state
apparatus. These reforms were carried out in accordance with the requirements of
modernization and the expectations of Western powers in some extent. The
Tanzimat bureaucracy tried to rule in a manner excluding some groups and classes.
45
Also, the Tanzimat reforms led to increase the duality or bifurcation both in
education and law85, medreses next to modern schools and religious courts with
secular ones. The duality during the Tanzimat era of course led to depressions and
resistance in some extent in the fields of politics and social life. On the other hand,
the economic and social problems and political instabilities as a natural
consequence of these problems together with the international political pressure
paved the way to the appearance of constitutionalist idea which claims itself to be
directed to the authoritarian nature of ruling elites.
The liberal outlook inspired by the West became the main discourse of the
opposing groups. The press also played a vital role in dissemination of these new
ideas. As a matter of fact the press was the main instrument in opposing movement
called the Young Ottomans founded in 1865 by the intellectuals like Namık Kemal,
Şinasi, Ali Suavi and Ziya Pasha. The Young Ottoman movement held a significant
role in the preparation of Kanun-i Esasi and proclamation of the First
Constitution86. On the other hand it is the fact that it was not a coincidence that the
constitutional monarchy declared in the time when the political tension resulted
from the crises in the Balkans was at the peak, the footsteps of oncoming Russian
war were seen and inner political conflicts became severe as some important
reasons for the declaration of constitutional monarchy87. The First Constitution
85
İlber Ortaylı, İmparatorluğun En Uzun Yüzyılı, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2008.
86
Cemil Koçak “Yeni Osmanlılar ve Birinci Meşrutiyet”, Modern Türkiye’de Siyasi Düşünce-
Cumhuriyet’e Devreden Düşünce Mirası Tanzimat ve Meşrutiyet’in Birikimi Vol. I, İstanbul:
İletişim Yayınları, 2001.
87
Bernard Lewis, Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, pp. 219- 231.
46
could run only for a very short time. In 1877, the Russo-Ottoman War break out,
Abdülhamid II exiled Midhad Pasha88 who known as the architect of Kanun-i Esasi
and the Sultan abolished the assembly and the Kanun- i Esasi was shelved.
The assembly could reconvene again after thirty years. Although these thirty
years passed away with restrictions and prohibitions of Abdülhamid‟s autocratic
regime, an intensive movement of reform was also carried out through which many
improvements in education, communication, technology and transportation were
brought out. The new institutions of education installed during the Hamidian era
paradoxically were the places the most decisive opponents of Abdülhamid regime
were brought up. Some members of the Young Turk movement which took the
road in 1889 in order to re-establish the constitutional regime in opposition to
Abdulhamid II were the graduates of these schools. The movement initiated in
Military School of Medicine in 1889 accelerated its organized actions against the
regime after the foundation of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and the
activities of this group against the authority of Abdülhamid II resulted in the
reactivation of constitutional monarchy again in 190889.
With the opening of the Second Constitutional Era, Ottoman women became
more apparent and effective. Women individually or collectively began to claim a
more active role in social, economic and military fields through the associations.
88
Bernard Lewis, Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, p. 228.
89
Sina Akşin, “Jön Türkler”, Tanzimattan Cumhuriyet’e Türkiye Ansiklopedisi, Vol. III, İstanbul:
47
The Ottoman women started to state their claims in an organized manner through
the associations they founded and also by means of the press.90
The developments concerning the women‟s status in society were obviously
closely related with the political developments of the period. Therefore, the first
part of this chapter will look over the women situation during the first years of
Second Constitutional era in parallel with to the social and political developments
the empire experienced. Then, the associations closely related with women‟s
movement and women periodicals of the time will be examined. Finally, the most
significant of many women magazines published throughout the Second
Constitutional Era will be the topic of the last sub-title of this chapter.
3.1 The Situation of Women during the First Years of Second Constitutional
Era in the Context of Socio-Political Developments
In the Second Constitutional Era, the ideology of Ottomanism, which was
widespread in the 19th century, was replaced by a nationalist and corporatist
ideology after the Balkan Wars. Although Ottomanism was not completely given
up, nationalism started to be the dominant ideology among the intellectuals and
government officials91. Especially the extraordinary conditions which emerged
after the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913 led to strengthening of corporatism and
solidarity. The family as a solidarity group in a sociological context became one of
90
Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1996, p.22.
91
Selçuk Akşin Somel, “Osmanlı Reform Çağında Osmanlıcılık Düşüncesi”, Modern Türkiye’de
Siyasi Düşünce- Cumhuriyet’e Devreden Düşünce Mirası Tanzimat ve Meşrutiyet’in Birikimi, Vol I,
İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2001, pp. 117- 128.
48
the basic concerns of the Unionists92. By this way, “the family became a political
issue” in the condition of war93 and the Young Turks redefined the functions of the
family and naturally „the woman‟ socially and politically. Why the women were
more visible mostly through the associations established with the aim of charity
and aid for especially the soldiers in the war and helpless people is a result of the
role allocated for women as a part of national solidarity94.
In addition, the role of women in society which had become more apparent with
the ongoing efforts of then current ruling party, the CUP was redefined in
accordance with the principles of nationalism which had been targeted to become
the dominant ideology. Meanwhile, women‟s participation in the public sphere was
both encouraged and limited through government politics. Population and
employment policies were the most effective ones among central control
mechanisms. As Ziya Gökalp claimed, these mechanisms were used to create a
„national family‟ in order to unionize the people. The statement: “We already handed
political reforms, now we should carry out social reforms as well. We could make social
reforms mainly for amending the family life.”95 included in the article titled „Reform in
Family Life‟ (Ailede İmtiyaç) which appeared in Kadınlar Dünyası, one of the
prominent journals of the time, indicates that Kadınlar Dünyası agrees with Ziya
92
Zafer Toprak, “The Family, Feminsm and the State During the Young Turk Period, 1908- 1918”,
Première Rencontre Internationale sur l'Empire Ottoman et la Turquie Moderne, İstanbul-Paris:
Éditions ISIS, 1991, p.443.
93
Ayşe Durakbaşa, Halide Edib Türk Modernleşmesi ve Feminizm, İletişim Yayınları, İstanbul,
2009, p. 101.
94
Zafer Toprak, “II. Meşrutiyet Döneminde Devlet, Aile ve Feminizm,” in: Sosyo-Kültürel Değişme
Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol. I, Ankara: T. C. Başbakanlık AileAraştırma Kurumu, 1992, pp. 228-
232.
95
İçtimai, “Ailede İmtizaç”, Kadınlar Dünyası, July 12, 1330, No: 151, p. 2
49
Gokalp‟s ideas. Reforms in the family life have been the intersection point of the
Ottoman women‟s movement with Turkish nationalism that became apparent in the
Second Constitutional Era96. The Ottoman women who had taken steps towards
socialization along with the Second Constitutional Era began to characterize
themselves as a member of the social environment they lived in and an individual
of the population that constituted the nation as well as they questioned their social
status and duties besides the status and domestic duties of them97.
3.2. The Major Women Associations of the Period
Two reasons made the women‟ associations important in the Second
Constitutional Era: First, the early appearance of Ottoman women in social life in
the Second Constitutional Era was taken place through the activities held in the
unions which were mostly founded for charities. Second, several women‟s
periodicals were the official publications of some effective associations in the
political life. Due to the ongoing wars, these associations were mainly struggle for
providing clothes to the soldiers on the front, aiding the wounded soldiers and
supporting the families of the soldiers died in the battlefield. Following the defeats
of the Ottoman army in the Balkans and the Caucasus, the Muslims of lost
96
Fatmagül Berktay, “Osmalı‟dan Cumhuriyet‟e Feminizm, Cumhuriyet’e Devreden Düşünce
Mirası Tanzimat ve Meşrutiyet’in Birikimi, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2009, p.355.
97
Güldane Çolak, Lale, Uçan, II. Meşrutiyet’ten Cumhuriyet’e Basında Kadın Öncüler, İstanbul:
Heyamola Yayınları, 2008, p.21
50
territories embarked a big migration to Anatolia and İstanbul escaping from
violence. As a result of huge masses as immigrants; famine, epidemics and
starvation spread over the cities. Some people, especially women, did not remain
indifferent to the deploring situation and began to work for aiding the poor, the
destitutes and the helpless people. In the meantime some associations were
established for charity. Even though the history of the association of this kind dated
back to early constitutional era, they have become widespread with the coming of
the Second Constitutional Era.
There were several associations and charity organizations which were founded
or managed by women. The Cemiyet-i İmdadiye founded by Fatma Aliye in 1908
to provide winter clothing for the soldiers of the Rumeli frontier was important as
being the first women‟s organization98. The association had also some welfare
activities abroad99. The women who were the members of this organization have
contributed to the aid campaigns of their association by selling their handcrafts.
The Osmanlı Kadınları Şefkat Cemiyet-i Hayriyesi is another association
founded by women in the same year with Cemiyet-i İmdadiye. This association
declared that the organization was open to whole women regardless of their
religion intended to help the orphan females and children.
98
Tezer Takıran, Cumhuriyet’in 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık Kültür
99
Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1996, pp. 43- 44.
51
In addition, political parties also had charity unions. The unions, İttihat ve
Terakki Kadınlar Şubesi, Teali-i Vatan Osmanlı Hanımlar Cemiyeti founded under
the patronage of CUP and Osmanlı Kadınları Terakkiperver Cemiyeti which had
been founded by CUP for women were the examples of this kind of practices100.
İttihat ve Terakki Kadınlar Şubesi” was founded in 1908 for helping the soldiers
and deprived people. Also, it was established with the leadership of a political
party, it organized political activities such as arranged meetings. In these meetings
some speeches and poems were presented in order to awaken the national
sensations.
In 1912, the Donanma Cemiyeti Hanımlar Şubesi, founded by Nezihe
Muhiddin, aimed to collect money for Ottoman navy but this aim could be
achieved one year later from the foundation101.
The Esirgeme Cemiyeti was founded for aiding the İttihat ve Terakki Kız Sanayi
Mektebi (Union and Progress Vocational School for Girls). The secretary of this
organization was Nezihe Muhiddin. The association had lots of branch offices in
İstanbul and arranged some courses in the aim of serving in educational and
cultural purposes102. In 1912 another Esirgeme Cemiyeti was founded for the
purpose of the help the immigrants and orphan people after the Balkan Wars.
100
101
Şefika Kurnaz. İkinci Meşrutiyet Döneminde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı,
1996, p. 115.
.
102
Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p.39.
52
Nezihe Muhiddin was the secretary of this organization too. The association was
enlisted as the organization serving for public good after the will of the Sultan103.
Both of these organizations were known with their nationalist activities104.
The workings of the women under the roof of an official organization had
started with the Kızılay Hanımlar Merkezi which came into effect by Dr. Besim
Ömer within the body of the Osmanlı Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti. The Osmanlı Hilal- i
Ahmer Cemiyeti of which former title was the Mecruhin ve Zuefa-yı Askeriyeye
İmdat Cemiyeti was founded in 1877105. The association which was inactive during
the regressive years of the Hamidian regime was reorganized after the declaration
of Second Constitution in 1908. The members of the association were assembled in
1911 and the Regulation for the Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti was enacted after this
meeting. One of the articles in the regulation titled as the Women‟s Wing League
of Hilal-i Ahmer declared the establishment of a Hanımlar Merkezi (Women‟s
Centre) with their branches106. The main aim of this centre was to hold the support
of whole men and women and to bring women active position in the society107. The
103
Serpil Çakır, “XX. Yüzyılın Başında Kadın ve Aile Dernekleri ve Nizamnameleri”, Sosyo-
Kültürel Değişme Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol III, Ankara: Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu,
1992, p. 996.
104
Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, pp.39- 40.
105
Seçil Karal Akgün and Murat Uluğtekin, Hilal-i Ahmer’den Kızılay’a, Ankara: Kızılay, 2002, p.
27.
106
Seçil Karal Akgün and Murat Uluğtekin, Hilal-i Ahmer’den Kızılay’a, Ankara: Kızılay, 2002, pp.
35- 39.
107
Seçil Karal Akgün and Murat Uluğtekin, Hilal-i Ahmer’den Kızılay’a, Ankara: Kızılay, 2002, p.
40.
53
Women Centre should be assessed far more than an ordinary charity organization.
It was essentially a multi-functional organization. It cared for the soldiers on the
war front and supplied their clothes, foods and equipments. On the other hand,
behind the front it dealt with civilians especially migrated from the occupied land
after the wars. In additionally, being essentially a women‟s organization it was
charged with reflecting the spirit of modernization which was the target of
constitutional monarchy. The association undertook such an important social role
that it led to women to have social status and to coexistence of women and men in
social structure. Being the first in terms of welfare activities arranged by women,
the association well organized in hospitals. Moreover, it established the Daru’s-
sîna (art house), joined an international exhibition with handicrafts produced in the
art house of the centre and also published a women calendar of events which
contributed to personal development and expanded their horizons. It contained
knowledge related with multiple subjects from philosophy to education,
health and first aid. Besides, the booklet involved in many phrases and mottos
raising the self confidence of the women: “better the status women held, more the
country developed”, “progress and evolution is impossible without women”, “in
order to freed country from collapse, it is essential to mind girls firstly” and “ the
most important national power is the young girls” 108.
The Osmanlı Kadınları Çalıştırma Cemiyeti İslamiyesi (1916) came out in
order to satisfy the employment gap which was the consequence of recruitment of
108
Seçil Karal Akgün and Murat Uluğtekin, Hilal-i Ahmer’den Kızılay’a, Ankara: Kızılay, 2002, pp.
150- 164.
54
men in big masses for the wars. The association tried to satisfy the deficiency in
employment through supplying job opportunities for the women. The association
supported by Enver Pasha and his wife. The association also undertook the
responsibility of conducting the official population policy of the Ottoman state and
obliged the officials and the labor to work for the association to marry in order to
support the policy aiming to prevent families from collapsing109.
The activities of associations established by women with the aim of charity
have given rise to solidarity among women and also strengthened their social
awareness. Through these kinds of activities women have had the chance of
becoming together and participate in social life effectively. Such a role of these
associations and similar organizations also provided a basis for women‟s
apprehension of their own role in family and society and consciousness of moving
together within the framework of certain purposes. That is why many different
associations were founded by women in order to advocate women‟s rights, to
support women for their participation in working life, to provide employment for
women and also to offer some facilities for the education of the Ottoman women.
The Teal-i Nisvan which was founded by Halide Edip and her fellows on behalf
of improving the cultural level of the women was an early sample of unions
founded for charity in 1908. The Hizmet-i Nisvan was founded by Fatma Aliye‟s
sister Emine Semiye in Edirne. It was composed of ten Muslim and six non-
109
Zafer Toprak, “Osmanlı Kadınları Çalıştırma Cemiyeti Kadın Askerler ve Milli Aile”, Tarih ve
Toplum, Vol. IX, No: 51, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, March 1988, pp. 34-37.
55
Muslim women. Fehime Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Murat was one of the
founders of this organization 110. This organization aimed at encouraging women to
receive education, participate in working life and use domestic products. Another
association aiming to defend the women‟s rights was the Osmanlı Cemiyeti
Hayriye-i Nisvaniye opened in 1909. The association opened a hospital and a
school. Malumat-i Dahiliye Kadınlar Cemiyeti Hayriyesi, targeting to support
women to participate in work life, was founded in 1912. The association was also
supported by the Milli Meşrutiyet Fırkası (National Constitutional Party)111. One of
the most effective associations was the Osmanlı Müdafaa-i Hukuk-ı Nisvan
Cemiyeti which meant that “the association for defending women rights”112.
One of the most important of such kind of associations was Teal-i Nisvan, the
name of which meant “the rise of women”, was not only a charity; it was also
among the associations asserting the rights of women. It aimed to raise the level of
education and culture of women without disregarding traditional values113. Teali-i
Nisvan was working to aid the emigrants escape from the wars in Rumelia, giving
effort to prevent from epidemics, setting up hospitals and nursing. It also organized
courses for illiterates and people willing to learn foreign languages and arranged
110
111
Şefika Kurnaz, İkinci Meşrutiyet Döneminde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı,
1996, pp. 97- 98.
112
Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını 1908- 1960, Ankara: Atatürk
Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p. 41.
113
Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p.38; Tezer Takıran,
Cumhuriyet’in 50. Yılında Türk Kadın Hakları, Ankara: Başbakanlık Kültür Müsteşarlığı Yayınları,
1973, p. 38.
56
conferences in order to educate people with the participation of both men and
women114 and these courses were given in a classroom in Gedikpaşa115.
Furthermore, some instructors were giving courses of translation classes. Thanks to
the courses of these kinds many articles relating women issues, history, literary and
social matters were translated into Turkish from foreign languages especially from
English. Additionally, to read and write Turkish very well and to attend English
courses were some of the conditions to be a member of the association116.
The Osmanlı Müdafaa-i Hukuk-ı Nisvan Cemiyeti founded in 1913 precisely
worked on the purpose of defending women‟s rights. The association attributing
special attention for the education of women stimulated the women to participate in
working life and began businesses for women. The association established by
Ulviye Mevlan intended to relieve the misery of women to open private schools,
publish newspapers and booklets, arrange conferences, reform the clothing of
women and create national attire. The organization advocated the right of higher
education for women and made courses in the İstanbul University available for
women in 1913. Then, a university for women, İnas Darulfünunu was set up as a
next step. The association also cooperated with the women‟s organizations in
114
115
116
57
foreign countries117. Additionally, the Osmanlı Müdafaa-yı Hukuk-ı Nisvan
Cemiyeti obtained employment in public offices for the women. As an illustration,
Bedra Osman and her friends were accepted by the İstanbul Phone Company. The
Osmanlı Müdafaa-yı Hukuk-ı Nisvan Cemiyeti was very significant as in terms of
being the holder of Kadınlar Dünyası which is the main topic of this study.
Kadınlar Dünyası together with the activities of the association encouraged women
to take part in advocating women‟s rights and pioneered the movement on the
purpose of women‟s emancipation.
3.3. The Best Known Women’s Periodicals of the Period
The leaders of women organized charity activities maintained under the roof of
these organizations, being lack of education in the first place brought the problems
of women within the household and society up for discussion via press118.
Women‟s periodicals, started to be published since the second half of 19th century
proliferated during the Second Constitutional Period. At first Demet, Mehasin,
Mefharet and Kadın periodicals were published in 1908. Except for these, a great
deal of women‟s periodicals such as Muvasser Kadın, Kadın, Kadınlar Dünyası,
Erkekler Dünyası, Güzel Prenses, Kadınlık, Siyanet, Seyyale, Hanımlar Alemi,
Kadınlar Alemi, Kadınlık Hayatı, Bilgi Yurdu Işığı, Türk Kadını, Genç Kadın,
Kadın Duygusu, İnci, Diyane, Kadınlar Saltanatı, Hanım, Ev Hocası and Firuze
117
Serpil Çakır, “XX. Yüzyılın Başında Kadın ve Aile Dernekleri ve Nizamnameleri”, Sosyo-
Kültürel Değişme Sürecinde Türk Ailesi, Vol III, Ankara: Başbakanlık Aile Araştırma Kurumu,
1992, pp. 1008- 1009.
118
Güldane Çolak, Lale, Uçan, II. Meşrutiyet’ten Cumhuriyet’e Basında Kadın Öncüler, İstanbul:
Heyamola Yayınları, 2008, p.22.
58
were published until the establishment of the Republic even some of them were
very short-lived119.
Political, social, ideological, and economic changes undergone during the
Second Constitutional Period had an enormous impact on the emergence of
women‟s periodicals. The government policies which took their form in accordance
with the conditions of the period had effected on women. This fast conversion had
also shaped the thought of intelligentsia in the Ottoman state. The idea of national
economy was consolidated and consciousness of history gained more importance in
order to create a sense of national identity in the wake of ideological changes and
transformations. The enlightened people of the period gathered around the societies
like Türk Yurdu (Turkish Homeland Association), Türk Ocağı (Turkish Society),
Tarih- i Osmani Encümeni (Committee of the Ottoman History) made efforts in
order to develop a national culture, policy, and history understanding. It is possible
to follow the traces of this freshly expanded understanding in women periodicals of
the period.
The articles in the women‟s periodicals stated the policies of the period.
Especially constitutionalism was enthusiastically welcomed by women‟s
periodicals and the idea of the need for the constitutional regime was accepted for
the salvation of the nation. In 1908, the Mefharet periodical which was released in
Salonika put „Long Live the National Assembly‟ as headline on to its cover page.
This phrase was important because it was the first time that the concept of
119
Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1996, pp. 32- 37.
59
“national assembly” was used instead of “the deputies‟ assembly”120. When the
intellectual articles of another early periodical of the Constitutional Period was
twelve issues Mehasin, founded by Asaf Muammer and Mehmet Rauf121. The
periodical known with its Western orientation standed on behalf of
constitutionalism, and advocated the education and legal rights of women. The
periodical published the texts of women conferences. At one of these conferences,
Celal Sahir said that “the reason that the women were deprived of being educated,
going to the university or working as doctors, lawyers, teachers and so on, is not
the effect of religion but the ignorance and darkness of East”122. The pictures of
this periodical were prepared in Europe, and the photographs of women in Western
style clothing were published123 in order to orient women to Westernized life. In
another conference, Celal Sahir stated that women of the world were vigorously
struggling for their rights and consequently women gained their rights to vote in
Australia, New Zeland and some parts of the United States. He also informed that
there were several women deputies in the Finnish National Assembly in 1907 and
showed these women as examples for their Turkish fellows. He added that the
constitutional government could not just deal with improving the legal rights of
120
Afet İnan, Atatürk ve Türk Kadın Haklarının Kazanılması: Tarih Boyunca Türk Kadının hak ve
Görevleri, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları, 1975, p. 93.
121
Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını, Atatürk Kültür, Dil ve Tarih
Yüksek Kurumu, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p.12.
122
123
1996, pp. 141- 145.
60
women due to the fact that it had to engage in the problems inherited from the old
government124.
Another important periodical of the time was Demet published in İstanbul seven
issues by Hakkı Bey. In its first issue the periodical declared that, Demet was a
weekly literary, political illustrated magazine for women. The periodical gave
room to the problems of women education, the care of children, fashion and the
culture of women. Most of the articles of the periodical indicated that it was
supporting the Young Turk movement. In periodical, it was aimed to spread the
ideas of the Young Turks among women125. Although Demet was a publication for
the Ottoman Muslim women, it is important that it printed the photographs of the
Armenian women126 and informed the reader about Armenian women writers. The
articles publishing about literary works of Armenian women writers imposed the
protection of women‟s rights and freedom which were acquaint Ottoman society
with feminist thoughts at first time127.
124
1996, p. 143.
125
Leyla Kaplan, Cemiyetlerde ve Siyasi Teşkilatlarda Türk Kadını, Atatürk Kültür, Dil ve Tarih
Yüksek Kurumu, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi, 1998, p. 12.
126
1992,p. 969.
127
Tülay Keskin, Feminist Nationalist Discourse In the First Year of the Ottoman Revolutionary
Press (1908- 1909): Readings From the Magazines of Demet, Mehasin and Kadın (Salonica),
Unprinted Master Thesis, Bilkent University, 2003, p. 61.
61
Kadın was the other periodical that was published in Salonica outside from
İstanbul for the first time128. It was published in 1908-1909 but it published in
İstanbul one issue titled Musavver Kadın129. Most of the authors in the periodical
included the figures of Turkish nationalism, the famous figures of politics and
literature. With its cadre, the Kadın was one of the earliest forums of women‟s
rights in the newborn Turkish movement130. Emel Aşa categorized the articles of
Kadın into three sections: One of them was communal culture, the other was
women and feminity issues and last one was the literary works. The periodical
published so as to advocate women‟s rights, prominently focused on the education
of women. As it stated in the abstract of the journal, the primary object of the
periodical was to address all women readers regardless of their level of education.
In addition, not satisfying with dealing only with the problems of Turkish women,
the periodical also gave place many translated articles on their pages. These articles
were mainly on domestic issues like family and marriages, motherhood, feminism,
women‟s movements in Muslim and European countries, ethics and status of
women in Western civilizations131.
128
1992,p. 970.
129
1992,p. 970.
130
Tülay Keskin, Feminist Nationalist Discourse In the First Year of the Ottoman Revolutionary
Press (1908- 1909): Readings From the Magazines of Demet, Mehasin and Kadın (Salonica),
Unprinted Master Thesis, Bilkent University, 2003, p. 77.
131
1992,p. 971.
62
The women‟s periodicals emerged during the Second Constitutional Period
published articles to protect traditional values on one hand, and articles to support
the orientation to modern life on the other hand. The women wrote articles for
these periodicals were generally the daughters of the respectable families, who
were educated by teachers at home or attended to foreign schools. Among the
intelligentsia who tried to work for the awakening of the women there were also
some men published articles in women‟s periodicals.
There are some other periodicals which were published at Constitutional
Period. Most of the periodicals had been short lasting but one of them was different
from them in terms of both the cadre of writers and the duration of publishing. The
Kadınlar Dünyası as one of the most important Constitutional Era Women
Periodical minded the problems of the period and tried to find solutions to the
situation of Empire. It also advocated a great plan for a new Turkey after 1908
which included a comprehensive reform movement in the social, economic and
educational life132 That is why the Kadınlar Dünyası will be examined and studied
separately in the last chapter.
132
Hester Donaltson Jenkins, An Educational Ambassador the the Near East, New York, Chicago,
London & Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1925, p. 297.
63
CHAPTER IV
KADINLAR DÜNYASI
Kadınlar Dünyası, which was the official publication of Osmanlı Müdafaa-i
Hukuk-ı Nisvan Cemiyeti, a society which advocates and protects the rights of
women gave so many opportunities to analyze the change in the status, role and
identity of women and also to understand in what extent these changes brought new
political and social demands. The periodical had a considerably important role in
the women movement and in questioning the values demanded to be altered by
Ottoman women. Another significant reason for considering it as a valuable source
in understanding the character of the Ottoman women‟s movement is that multiple
articles published by the women from very different segments of society. This
fascilitates deciphering the basic motivations behind women‟s demands for
changes in social structure, politics, education, law, family and working life. If the
major incentives could be revealed, it would be easier to question that what kind of
a role women held both as an object and as a subject in the process of national state
formation and in what extent they expressed their relations with the politics of
modern bureaucratic elite.
Not all the subject titles in the periodical will be held in this chapter in a
mechanical approach. Instead, the main question of this thesis will be directed to
the periodical in order to understand how it formulated the women‟s movement.
When the main characteristics of the intelligentsia during the first years of Second
64
Constitutional Era are examined, three different fields of analysis arise. Initially,
the articles in the first 100 volumes of the periodical published in 1913 will be
analyzed in terms of the ideas on education. Then, the historical understanding of
the periodical‟s writers will be studied between the lines of articles and lastly the
articles in the periodical will be analysed in regards to whether they reflect an idea
of “national economy” or something else different. The evaluation directed to the
fields of education, history and economics will be carried out by keeping the main
question of this thesis in mind that whether the Ottoman women‟s movement,
which naturally led women to recognize their own identities and rights, essentially
brought about with the consciousness of their own femininy or their movement was
it accepted as a symbolic instrument by the modernist and nationalist ruling men as
means of implementing their political projects. In other words, were the women
figure struggling for their own rights as a subject of this matter or totally as an
object? If the women of the Second Constitutional Era were not able to overcome
their inevitable faith of being “historical objects” despite of the fact that they held a
considerable progress in their status?
4.1. About the Periodical
Kadınlar Dünyası which was founded by Ulviye Mevlan started to be
published on April 4, 1329 (1913). It is written on the cover page that “Daily
scientific, literary and social newspaper special for women. This is an edition
exclusive for esteemed Ottoman ladies regardless of gender, ethnicity and sects”.
First 100 issues of the periodical were published daily, so it was announced as a
65
daily newspaper but later, the periodical maintained its publication weekly.
Because of war and other poor conditions, the periodical was confronted three
intervals until it was ended in 1921. Because of the shortage of paper, the first
break after the 154th issue lasted three months; second it was recessed four years
due to the First World War. After four years, periodical was started to be issued in
its 163rd volume and maintained up to 194th volume. It was ended probably due to
the Independence War. In 1921, the last issue was the periodical published with the
number of 194/15133.
There is no certain data for the press run but at the 165th issue it was
announced that the periodical published 3000 printing because of shortage of paper
and suggested the readers to subscribe. Regular daily publishing of Kadınlar
Dünyası was four pages without any pictures, started to climb to sixteen pages with
pictures and photographs at its heading page after weekly publishing issues 134. The
daily issues were 10 liras including mailing cost and weekly issues were 20 liras.
On the other hand, yearly subscription was 100 liras and six months subscription
was 60 liras. For foreign countries annual and semi- annual subscriptions were 38
and 20 franks. Its managerial office was at Binbirdirek- Sultan Ahmet at first and
then moved to Divan Yolu- Sultan Ahmet. 135.
133
134
135
Kadınlar Dünyası (1913- 1921), Vol. I (edited by Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz, Tülay Gençtürk
Demircioğlu), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı Yayınları, 2009, p. 1;
66
The title of the periodical was written both in Arabic and in Latin letters. It
also issued a French supplement named “Monde Feminin” from the 121st issue to
128th in order to inform the women of West about the Ottoman women and
establish mutual relationship. In this supplement, the periodical published articles
like La polygamie et l’Islam (The Polygamy and Islam), Pour le journal Kadınlar
Dunyassı (For the Kadınlar Dünyası Periodical), La Femme Turque et son role
social (The Turkish Woman and Her Social Role), Il y a Feministes et Feministes
(There are Feminsts and Feminists), Chronique feministe (The Feminist Chronicle)
and Turques et Françaises (The Turks and the French)136.
Kadınlar Dünyası expressed that, with the publication of this periodical not
only the acquisition of women‟s rights would be provided, but also the nation
would be elevated; therefore a binary mission could be achieved in consequence137.
Kadınlar Dünyası which was accepted as a pioneer in Ottoman women‟s
movement gave so many information about which reasons made the Ottoman
women complaint about their situation, what kind of a struggle they maintained in
order to overcome some related problems and defend their rights and also what
kind of conflicts they became aware both their own gender who oppose their
struggle and also the opposite sex138. It was stated in its first edition which was
136
Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı. İstanbul Kütüphanelerindeki Eski Harfli
Türkçe Kadın Dergileri Bibliyografyası, (prepared by Zehra Toska, Serpil Çakır, Tülay Gençtürk,
Sevim Yılmaz, Selmin Kurç, Gökçen Art, Aynur Demirdirek), İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1993, pp.
279- 283; Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1996, p. 81.
137
138
Demircioğlu), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p. 1.
67
published on April 4, 1329 (1913) that Kadınlar Dünyası follows the experiments
of women‟s publishing activities developed in the framework of the women
movement in Europe and the United States of America139. This shows that the
periodical monitored the women movements outside the empire.
The staff of the periodical was all women and it was emphasized by the
periodical itself that only the articles written by women writers can take part. The
names of writers was not completely defined but the articles of periodical gave a
bit information about the writers wrote frequently. Ulviye Mevlan, Aziz Haydar,
Emine Seher Ali, Mükerrem Belkıs, Atiye Şükran, Aliye Cevad, Sıdıka Ali Rıza,,
Safiye Biran, Yaşar Nezihe, Nimet Cemil, Sacide, Nebile Akif, Melihe Cenan,
Mes‟adet Bedirhan were the prominent writers of the periodical. Each writer
specialized in certain issues. Ulviye Mevlan, Aziz Haydar, Emine Seher Ali,
Mükerrem Belkıs and Nimet Cemil generally wrote on women rights, feminism,
social problems and education; Nebile Akif and Atiye Şükran emphasized on navy
and industry. Mes‟adet Bedirhan published many plays having social themes.
Yaşar Nezihe and Meliha Cenan were the poets addressing many poems with social
messages140.
Ulviye Mevlan recognized as the founder of the magazine was a woman
trained in the Ottoman palace where she brought in her early ages. She was forced
139
Demircioğlu), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p. 3.
140
68
to marry an elderly man while training in the Ottoman palace. In the first few
issues, her name was written as Nuriye Ulviye and after her second marriage with
Rıfat Mevlan, she started to use her husband‟s last name. Ulviye Mevlan who was
also the founder of Osmanlı Müdafaa-i Hukuk-ı Nisvan Cemiyeti started to publish
Kadınlar Dünyası in her early twenties. Although she suffered many difficulties at
great personal costs, she did her best in order to be able maintain the publishing of
the periodical. She laid a great effort mobilizing women and improving their
position in social life141. Despite of the fact that there is no indication at the end of
the editorial column, it was recognized that editorial column was written down by
Ulviye Mevlan. Later, she signed the editorial column with her own name under
the title of Düşünüyorum.
One another writer of the periodical, Aziz Haydar opened a school named Ana
Mektebi (Mother‟s School) with his brother İsmet Haydar and gave great effort to
educate young girls who would be mothers of future generations. She attained great
significance the education of mother because she believes that a good generation
could be brought up only by well educated mothers. In addition to being a school
teacher and school manager, she also published many articles focusing on the
significance of women‟s education142.
141
Serpil Çakır, “Mevlan Civelek, Ulviye”, A Biographical Dictionary of Women’s Movement and
Feminisms Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe, 19th and 20th Centuries, ed. Francisca de
Hann and the others, Budapest: Central European University Press, 2006, p. 336- 337.
142
Güldane Çolak and Lale Uçan, II. Meşrutiyet’ten Cumhuriyet’e Basında Kadın Öncüler,
İstanbul: Heyamola Yayınları, 2008, p. 89-90.
69
Emine Seher who was the chief editor of Kadınlar Dünyası until the 107th
edition of the periodical wrote many articles on many different issues like women
rights, social problems, education, arts, history and entrepreneurship. Yaşar Nezihe,
another well-known writer of the periodical was actually a poet who was the first
women to focus on social issues in her poems. Nezihe whose poems were
published by many different periodicals of the time written also a poetry book titled
Feryadlarım (My Cry). Her poems reflected the tragedies she lived throughout her
childhood and rest of her live143. Mes‟adet Bedirhan was known with her plays
published in the periodical. Additionally, Belkıs Şevket who known as also the first
women getting on a plane supported women entrepreneurs to take part in business
life and defended the coexistence of women and men in social life144.
In addition to the writers, there were many translators in the periodical such as
Nadire Nazmi, Sıyret Tevfik, Mihrinur Hanım, Aliye Cevad Asım and Leman
Cezmi. It is the fact that all these writers of Kadınlar Dünyası were not entirely
Turkish origins. There were many women from different nationalities who were the
members of Osmanlı Müdafa-i Hukuk-ı Nisvan Cemiyeti at the same time. Some of
these writers were Odette Feldman, Grace Ellison, Amelie Frisch, Madam Dugue
de la Fauconneire, Lucy Tomayon and Lia Hurşi.
143
İstanbul: Heyamola Yayınları, 2008, p. 59-60; Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul:
Metis Yayınları, 1996, p. 84-85.
144
İstanbul: Heyamola Yayınları, 2008, p. 59-60; Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul:
Metis Yayınları, 1996, p. 31-32.
70
4.2. Main Issues in the Periodical
One of the most important women periodicals of the time, Kadınlar Dünyası
naturally gave room priority to the women and their problems as the most
important issues. The primary issue held in the periodical is women‟s participation
in social life formerly they isolated from. The articles sending to the periodical
often emphasized on the importance of the issue for women and to formulate how
this participation should be carried out145. The obstacles of their participation in
social life and the rules of the involvement they have to be subjected were the other
significant subjects discussed in the periodical.
The necessity of women‟s attainment to their freedom was mainly emphasized
in the articles. The objectives listed in the article titled Osmanlı Kadınlığının
İstediği (What the Ottoman Women Demand) were the most often discussed issues
in the periodical at the same time:
- To elevate the level of women‟s education by founding new schools or
reforming the old ones.
- To encourage women‟s participation in professional life and commerce
- To improve women‟s clothing
- To reorganize the marital rules
145
71
- To improve women‟s status in family
- To treat mothers in capable of raising up their children properly
- To encourage women‟s involvement in social life 146
According to the Kadınlar Dünyası, the reform for women was directly related
with social reform and the acquisition of education, legal rights and a proper status
in family and professional life were the basis for women‟s involvement in social
life and for the redefinition of their role in new social system147. These issues were
discussed in different sections and volumes of Kadınlar Dünyası. Furthermore, in
order to stimulate women‟s consciousness, the periodical published also the letters
from women readers, the news about women‟s associations and announcements for
conferences.
Kadınlar Dünyası did not only interested in Ottoman women but also
portrayed the conditions the women abroad. One section in the periodical
throughout its first twelve volumes is allocated for the history of women‟s status in
different parts of the world from Arabia to China. Additionally, there were many
articles and news in the periodical trying to convey its reader some information
regarding the women‟s movement especially in Europe and the United States. For
instance, the article titled Kadınlar Nasıl Çalışıyorlar? (How the Women Are
Struggling?) uttered that women in the United Kingdom firstly made propaganda
146
Kadınlar Dünyası, “Osmanlı Kadınlığının İstediği”, October 15, 1329, No: 112, p. 2 cited by
147
72
through meetings, demonstrations and conferences in order to be defend their rights
and then initiated hunger strikes and even acts of violence. The same article also
announced that the periodical would inform the reader about the developments
relating to the women‟s rights in Europe.148.
From its very early issues Kadınlar Dünyası published articles which
examined the reasons of the poor conditions that the Ottoman State and nation fall
into, and in these articles the primary reasons of the bad condition of the country
were emphasized as illiteracy and economic irregularity. In these articles it was
highlighted that illiteracy was mostly aroused from women. To illustrate, Emine
Seher Ali states in one of her articles:
There is certainly a broad difference between the German mother who nourish her
child‟s mind by enlightening them through the knowledge of national traditions
and ancestry and binding her child with their historical and national values; and
our mothers who lead their children to laziness and timidity by threatening them
through haggish irrationalities. What is the reason for the difference? The reason
is undoubtedly luck of education149.
148
Fahriye Bedirhan, “Kadınlar Nasıl Çalışıyorlar”, April 9, 1329, No: 6 in Kadınlar Dünyası
(prepared by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri
Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 57- 59.
149
Emine Seher Ali, “Kadınlıkta Seviye-i İrfan”, April 4, 1329, No: 1 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I
Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p.5.
73
The German women were well educated and so they bred their children
properly. However, because of the illetarcy of Turkish women, both the children
were not educated well and the nation also did not elevate. Also, in her article
published in the first issue of the periodical she argued that the Turkish women
were mostly illiterate, and the unconscious people grown up through illiteracy
would be beneficial neither for themselves nor for the nation.
Education of women often held as one of the most important or even the most
important issue within the Ottoman women‟s movement. When some of the letters
sent to the periodical are recognized, it is revealed that some women saw the
women question simply not more than a problem of illiteracy and thought that the
women movement should not be exaggerated150. Additionally education of women
was thought along with the education of children. Because, it was believed that to
be able to raised future generations beneficial to their country could be possible
through educated mothers. It demonstrated that the ideological background of will
for women‟s education was rather related with the ideal of social progress than
feminist inclinations. Such a social role ascribed to the women was one of the most
important matters Kadınlar Dünyası concerns about. That‟s why there is a regular
corner in the periodical for the education of children titled Terbiye-i Etfal (Child
Education).
150
Şefika, Kurnaz, İkinci Meşrutiyet Döneminde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı,
1996, p. 148.
74
In almost all issues of the periodical, various articles emphasized that the
development and modernization of a nation depended on the women and the
development could only be achieved by means of education of women. According
to periodical, the education should be multipurpose. Individuals ought to be
adopted into social life through education and they also impressed by national
sentiments151. Accordingly, some lectures were given and advertisements of
various conferences were placed on the periodical without fee. In addition to
illiteracy, lack of the practice of old traditions and laws and their reevaluation were
stated some important reasons for Ottoman State‟s decline. Moreover, the necessity
for changing the old rules and rearranging them in accordance with the present
conditions was often highlighted152.
Developing national consciousness was another subject often discussed in
Kadınlar Dünyası. Stated in the periodical that the last remedy for Ottomanism
could not include in material defense tools like army or armored turret; but rather it
depended on national sentiments and patriotism153. Sentiments for national
consciousness were determined essential for the maintenance of a state. Avoiding
151
Şefika, Kurnaz, İkinci Meşrutiyet Döneminde Türk Kadını, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı,
1996, p. 152.
152
Şamlı: S (in) L, “Teceddüt Devri Ne Zaman Hulûl Edecek?”, April 20, 1329, No: 17 in Kadınlar
Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul:
Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p. 170.
153
Ulviye Macit, “Yurt Hemşirelerime”, April 11, 1329, No: 8 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared
by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri
Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p.79.
75
from directly imitating the traditions, languages and life styles of other nations
through national consciousness was stated as the way in order to achieve it 154. In
order to keep national consciousness alive; articles, national stories and also poems
were published in the periodical‟s every single issue.
Another important feature of Kadınlar Dünyası was aroused from its emphasis
on the importance of the consciousness ofhistory. So many articles fostering the
consciousness of history held place in the periodical. Articles dealing with history
were generally written by Emine Seher Ali under the section of Tarih Kırıntıları
and by Aliye Cevat under the title of Tarih Sayfaları. In her article titled as Tarih,
Emine Seher pointed out that lack of historical knowledge was the most important
obstacle in front of nation development. She expressed that nations cannot survive
long without knowing about their histories which cover their past experiences.
Since the history is a total sum of past actions, the humankind is in need of
historical knowledge for constituting their futures. Thus she stressed that in order to
impose consciousness of history articles on this issue would have been taken place
in newspapers as far as possible155.
154
Nazife Mehmet Ali, “Milliyetimizi Muhafaza Edelim”, May 4, 1329, No: 31 in Kadınlar Dünyası
Vol. I (prepared by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul: Kadın
Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 320-321.
155
Emine Seher Ali, “Tarih”, May 6, 1329, No: 33 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by Tülay
Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve
Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p. 334.
76
It was discussed in Kadınlar Dünyası that the economic problems the country
encountered with in the articles of Atiye Şükran. Atiye Şükran highlighted that the
economic problems increased because of the misuse of national resources. She
criticized that the people who do not trust national products prefer to use import
ones and the imported products invaded all country. Kadınlar Dünyası gave effort
to promote national industry and endeavored to encourage the people using
national products through various advertisements. The writers of the periodical
believed that the lack of indigenous manufacturing is gravely injurious to the
national economy. The ideas on economy expressed by Kadınlar Dünyası
explicitly have nationalistic inclinations. The writers of the periodical thought that
not only men but also women should become manufacturer rather than being an
effortless consumer. Especially Ulviye Mevlan expressed that one of the most
important subject concerning the economy is encouraging women to involve in
professional life.
The other important issue often setting out the nationalist inclinations of the
periodical‟s writers was fashion. The outdoor clothing especially was a matter of
discussion. Many articles offering reform for women clothing were published in
the periodical and the nationalization of women clothing was confirmed as an
important goal. Some articles criticized the use of European models and fabrics and
offered a more national fashion of which models, fabrics and producers were all
native. In her article titled as Tesettür-i Nisvan (Women‟s Clothing), Pakize Sadri
77
asserted: “If we had wanted to be improved, we should have established a national fashion
and clothing and chosen domestic products.”156
Considering the fact that the women held new social roles other than being just
mother and wife as a consequence of changing social patterns, the writers of
Kadınlar Dünyası considered veils as an obstructive element and suggested that the
women‟s clothing should be modernized and styled convenient to working life.
Although most of the writers agreed on abandoning of veil, some strictly criticized
any concession from Islamic rules concerning the women clothing. The fashion
also held with its other dimensions in the periodical. Kadınlar Dünyası published
many photographs and displayed advertisements of Western hair styles, cosmetics
and make up equipments157.
Almost all issues of the periodical had consisted of a special section for poetry
and literature. Philosophy, arts and Ottoman minorities were issues occasionally
discussed in the periodical. Moreover, some plays and articles on the drama acting
were submitted by the editorial board between pages.
As it is considered, there were many issues the writers of Kadınlar Dünyası
dealt with. it is not possible to asses each issue in details, beginning from the next
subtitle; national education, consciousness of history and national economy
156
Pakize Sadri, “Tesettür-i Nisvan”, June 21, 1329, No: 79 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared
Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p.309
157
78
through which the guidelines of current socio-political thought of the time can be
discovered will be evaluated in accordance with the main questions pointed out by
this thesis.
4.3. Articles about Education in Kadınlar Dünyası
The period which Kadınlar Dünyası started to be published was the time many
reforms carried out including the modernization of education. During this period,
the Young Turk government gave effort to establish a new system of education
included in secular primary and secondary schools following their preliminary
examples, vocational schools, teacher training colleges and some institutes. The
government provided the reorganization of the University of Istanbul. Additionally,
the facilities of education were expanded for girls. After opening the doors of
primary and secondary schools to the girls, the Young Turk regime let the girls to
be in university life158. The rise in the number of and secondary schools let to the
emergence of the requirement for higher education for the girls. Thus, the first
higher educational institution named as İnas Darülfünunu (University for Girls)
was founded on August 29, 1330 (September 12, 1914)159.
The demands for the improvement of education expressed in the articles of
Kadınlar Dünyası were similar to the changes attempted by the government: the
158
Bernard Lewis, Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, p. 310.
159
Emre Dölen, Türkiye Üniversite Tarihi Vol. I, Osmanlı Döneminde Darülfünun 1863- 1922,
İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2009, p. 454.
79
expansion and modernization of educational facilities, making the education
compulsory and free of charge and providing education for more girls. When the
periodical‟s articles on the issue of education were evaluated, it is clearly seen that
the lack of education were pointed out as the most vital problem leading to the
backwardness of the Empire. The modernist ideology ascribing one of the most
essential roles to the education in the way of development often mirrored on the
articles of Kadınlar Dünyası. After defining the lack of education for both girls and
boys as one of the most important problem the country encountered with, the
writers of the periodical also tried to analyze the reasons for the low of girls in
schools and sometimes suggested some ways of solution pertaining to the problems
of education. The reasons they ascertained for the necessity of women‟s education
revealed the social function assigned to women both by themselves and the
political elites of the time. The writers also explained what kind of an educational
system they offered and which rights they demanded for themselves in many
articles they wrote. “There is no doubt that a state which cannot offer a proper education
to their citizens is never be able to develop and inevitably subjected to be dissolved,

160
decayed or even collapsed” wrote Emine Seher Ali in one of her articles . The
intellectual women of the time considered illiteracy and bigotry as the main reasons
for the problems the Ottomans fell into161 and marked the education the only
instrument to be able to overcome illiteracy, bigotry and laziness. Mükerem Belkıs
160
Emine Seher Ali, “Ahlâk- Maarif”, April 5, 1329, No: 2 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol.I (prepared by
Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul: Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi
ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 15- 16.
161
Belkıs Ferit, “Tahsilimiz”, April 12, 1329, No: 9 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by Tülay
Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 89- 90.
80
said: “It is undoubted that only education can rescue a nation from the disaster it falls into
and contribute its development.”162
Kadınlar Dünyası called attention to inadequacy of educational system which
was confirmed as the most significant cause of weakness of the Ottoman society
and critized that there were very few girls had the chance for education. According
to the periodical, the primary reasons for illiteracy and disregard to education were
bigotry and insufficiency of schools163. Regarding the lack of schools and
educational facilities as the reason for Empire‟s misery, Kadınlar Dünyası called
the women for drawing a lesson from this wretchedness and work harder
improving the deploring conditions of schools and educational system. The
periodical stated that a public survey could explicitly prove what a small number of
women had opportunity to be educated throughout the country and even in the
capital164. Hatice Hanım also criticized the lack of educational institutions open for
girls in her article dated June 30, 1913:
Due to the lack of schools designed for improving the level of girl‟s intellectuality,
only consisting a teacher training college and a high school throughout such a vast
162
Mükerrem Belkıs, “Maarif Nezareti‟nden Büyük Bir Temenni”, July 4, 1329, No: 92 in Kadınlar
Dünyası Vol. II (prepared by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul:
Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 437- 438.
163
Paşabahçesi: Şerefettin, “Kadınlarda Maarif”, June 4, 1329, No: 62 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II
164
Şamlı: S [in]. L., “Hayat-ı Nisviyemizde Fikdan-ı Maarif”, April 11, 1329, No: 8 in Kadınlar
Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul:
81
empire, and the incapability of instructors teaching in secondary schools of which
number is already inadequate; the girls in the countryside are deprived of
schooling165.
Asserting that the training of women was even more important than men‟s
education, Mükerrem Belkıs suggested the foundation of a new high school at least
and added: “Actually it is not enough. Next to a few in İstanbul, let‟s establish new girl‟s
high schools in each province of our country.”166
Another significant problem women encountered with during their education
was the shortness of their school life due to the fact that they are obliged to leave
their school in early ages167. Hatice Hanım also criticized this situation with the
following statements:
The girls are taken away from their schools just after their teenages for
engagement or marriage. Hence, they are prevented from understanding their
165
Hatice, “Kızlarımızın Lüzum-ı Tahsili”, June 30, 1329, No: 88 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II
166
167
Aziz Haydar, “Bizde Kız Evlatların Tahsili”, April 16, 1329, No: 13 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I
82
status in the family and the rights they have and consequently, girls obliged to be
slaves at the hands of ruthless husbands.”168
The absence of financial support to education was another problem pointed out
in Kadınlar Dünyası. Mevhibe Hanım suggested a solution by asking that: “İf our
people who unhesitatingly accepted to pay the 1/4 war tax imposed by the government,
would not refuse to pay a tax to be used for such a precious aim at the same time.”169
The other important demands and suggestions laid by the writers of Kadınlar
Dünyası in the way of solving the problems were settling obligatory education
down and making schools free of charge. Mevhibe Mustafa expressed these
demands:
From now on, all our children should be educated without any payment and also
schooling should be compulsory. If I can I see that the tax for education that I paid
is used properly and efficiently and observe that the schools handed by the
Ministry of Education are qualified enough and also I am obliged to send my
daughter to the school, we will take an important step towards wellbeing170.
168
Hatice, “Kızlarımızın Lüzum-ı Tahsili”, June 30, 1329, No: 88 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II
169
Mevhibe Mustafa, “Maarifimiz”, April 20, 1329, No: 17 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by
ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p.172.
170
Mevhibe Mustafa, “Maarifimiz”, April 20, 1329, No: 17 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by
ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p.172.
83
In a broader sense, education was a national issue for the writers of Kadınlar
Dünyası as much as being a women problem. Mükerrem Belkıs related the issue
with patriotism and stated: “To be indifferent in the issue of education or prevent it from
improving is treason against the country. We never hope such kind of an attitude from the
people ruling our country.”171
The improvement of education is the keystone of social progress. In
accordance with the dominant modernist ideology of the time, the justification of
the necessity of education for women was based on the ideology of “national
growth”. Emine Seher Ali asserted:
I said yesterday that the development of countries depend on the level of their
women‟s literacy. We, the Ottoman women, need education much more than all
others. Thus, let ourselves to collect contributions, to satisfy our needs concerning
education as much as we can and open new schools through the associations we
will found. The country… We should not forget the women in the country. Let‟s
increase the number of the schools for girls everywhere172.
The women intellectuals of the time were being in consciousness of the role
attributed them within new modern social system and believed in their key position
in the development of the society and country. Mükerrem Belkıs claimed that the
171
172
Emine Seher Ali, “Ahlâk- Maarif”, April 5, 1329, No: 2 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol.I (prepared by
84
women were able to make a nation‟s destiny better or worse. According to her,
there was no other element that could affect the structure and ideas of society more
than women; that was why the destiny of a nation was at the hands of women. She
also defined the women as the people who are responsible for any possible
decadence of the nation, because she believed that the indifference of women in
education cause the country‟s collapse173. Sıdıka Ali Rıza also affirmed that the
shortest and most effective way of doing a nation‟s internal affairs better was to
educate the girls who were the potential mothers of the future174.
As it is stated above the education of women was thought closely related with
the education of children. Because, it is believed that the future generations who
have ability to contribute to the development of the country could be grown up by
only properly trained mothers. It shows that the ideological background of will for
women‟s education is rather related with the ideal of social progress than feminist
priorities. The encouragement of women to participate in educational life both
through government politics and intellectual milieu and the ascription of such a
social function to the women should be thought within the framework of the social
mechanism which were used to create a „national family‟ in order to unionize the
nation in the way of “development”. One of the most important roles attributed to
173
Mükerrem Belkıs, “Avrupa‟da Tahsil-i Nisvan”, June 16, 1329, No:74 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol.
II (prepared by Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu and Fatma Büyükkarcı Yılmaz), İstanbul: Kadın
Eserleri Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 247- 249.
174
Sıdıka Ali Rıza, “Mekteplerimiz”, April 20, 1329, No: 17 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared
Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p. 173.
85
the mother of “national family” is to train their children in accordance with national
values.
The first person responsible for the education of a child is the mother of him or
her. If the mother has the knowledge and methods of education, she can raise her
children healthy both mentally and physically and teach her children social ethics.
Thus, she is able to grow up an individual beneficial to human being175.
wrote Sıdıka Ali Rıza and emphasized on the necessity of well instruction of
children. On the other hand, Ferit Belkıs complained about women‟s ignorance in
childraising:
They have not any knowledge about pedagogy, house holding and home
economics. Also, they cannot give entirely the knowledge of ethics and sciences to
their children. A child receives education firstly in mother‟s bosom and also gains
the love of country and soldiery. So it means that the advancement of our country
heavily depends on the education of women176.
The love of country and the nation were the principal values that should be
given to kids through education because some women intellectuals believed that
the Ottoman young people did not have enough patriotism in themselves. Aziz
175
Sıdıka Ali Rıza, “Mekteplerimiz”, April 20, 1329, No: 17 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared
176
Belkıs Ferit, “Tahsilimiz”, April 12, 1329, No: 9 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by Tülay
Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 89- 90.
86
Haydar, in one of her article, addressed: “If we want to live on, consider ourselves and
believe in God, we should give our children the sense of nationality.”177
Resembling with the other women writers of the time, the writers in Kadınlar
Dünyası encouraged women to participate in social life and defended their rights
on behalf of patriotism. They perceived the struggle for women‟s rights as a
national issue. That is why they developed a nationalist women approach rather
than the universalism of Western feminism. In the same way Halide Edip formerly
stated in her article titled Mehasin Okuyan Kardeşlerime (To My Sisters Reading
Mehasin) published in the 6th issue of Mehasin:
A woman is first and foremost an Ottoman and also a patriot. Her country should
be the most precious and cordial thing in her heart. The interests of the country are
always much more superior to the interests of womankind. Thus, the women ought
to defend their rights not for themselves but so as to be able to well educate their
children they raise for the welfare of their country178.
Another detail supporting the idea that the primary motivation of women‟s
movement moves on a nationalist channel rather than a feminist one is the fact that
the problems underlined by the women intellectuals often did not confine to the
ones special to women but also valid for the men: “Many schools for boys also have
177
Aziz Haydar , “Kadın-Vatan”, Kânun-i Sani 17, 1330, No: 161, pp. 4-5 in Serpil Çakır, Osmanlı
Kadın Hareketi, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları, 1996, p. 234.
178
Halide Salih, “Mehasin Okuyan Kardeşlerime”, Mehasin, April 1324, No: 6, p. 421.
87
the same conditions and even though they started to operate brightly, they encountered
with the danger of vanishing in a very short period of time.”179
Approaching similarly to the issue, Nebile Kamuran wrote: “We should leave
such unreasonable ideas aside and improve the quality and conditions of education. The
illiteracy of women also damages the men.”180
To sum up, the new responsibility assigned to the women in the process of
socialization during the first years of Second Constitutional Era was bringing up
new generations. It was thought that through this responsibility of women, social
transformation could be achieved by the shortest way181. Moreover, the quality of
women education was accepted as one of the most important elements that could
contribute to the satisfaction of this goal. The demands for the augmentation of
girls in schools and also increase in the number of girls‟ schools might be thought
within this context.
179
Aziz Haydar, “Yine Mekteplerimiz”, April 25, 1329, No: 22 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I
180
Nebile Kâmuran, “Maarif”, April 27, 1329, No: 24 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by
ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp 246- 247.
181
88
4.4. Consciousness of History in the Articles of Kadınlar Dünyası
Another important feature of this periodical was aroused from its emphasis on
the importance of constituting the consciousness of history. Due to its very impact
on national development, consciousness of history was attributed great value by
Kadınlar Dünyası. Articles on history were generally written by Emine Seher Ali
in the section of Tarih Kırıntıları (Traces of History) and by Aliye Cevat in the
section of Tarih Sayfaları (Pages of History). In her article titled Tarih (History)
Emine Seher indicated that being lack of historical knowledge and consciousness
of history were the most important reasons that prevented a nation from
development. She expressed that nations cannot live long without knowing about
their history and since history was a sum of repeated actions, all nations were in
need of historical knowledge for establishing their future. That‟s why she pointed
out that in order to enhance the consciousness of history; more articles on history
should appear in newspapers as far as possible182.
It might be useful to look over the ideas of Emine Seher Ali which emphasized
on the necessity of consciousness and historical knowledge for social progress:
The weakness of the knowledge of national history is an obstacle in front of our
nations‟ progress. It also retains us from learning the truths. We never question…
182
89
We do not know the origin of our nation. History is the past story of nations. The
nations not aware of their own past never live long and maintain their existence.
History is a mirror for the future. Since history repeats itself, who looks ahead with
the knowledge of his own history can shape the future and destiny183.
In the same article, she also stressed on the need for women‟s being aware of
their history:
Women‟s insight in history is a must. The mother is the first teacher of the
children. I stated before but let‟s repeat: There is a huge difference between the
mother who tell her children ghost stories and the mother who mentions about the
history of her nation184.
Furthermore; in this important article, Emine Seher both tried to strengthen the
consciousness of history of women by telling them the origins of their rooted
civilization:
Whatever someone says, it is the fact that our nation did not emerged through only
a few warrior and just about 400 tents… If we accept the reality that everything
turns back to its origin (Emine Seher Ali means that everything in the world has an
183
184
90
end), we can easily recognize that the survival of our nation up to now is
unbelievable. Actually, we were just about to live such an end in the history,
before Bayezid…. Our state was much stronger after the reestablishment. The
essence of Sultan the Mehmed‟s rule is the basis of our government today185.
In response to Emine Seher Ali‟s article; Aliye Cevat, from Kabatas, wrote a
letter to the periodical expressing that she agreed with Emine Seher Ali in that a
nation without knowing about its past resembles a child is not aware of his father.
Development of countries depends on the importance they ascribe to their own
histories. After this response letter, Cevat started to write articles on history for
Kadınlar Dünyası.
In Kadınlar Dünyası, the articles on history were not be written only about the
historical events and figures, Aliye Cevat also gave account for the characteristics
of historical knowledge and evaluated the social function of history:
The articles I will write down under the title of Pages of History will mention
about the most important historical events in the world history, the history of some
nations and the reasons for their collapse. Because, now I am totally convinced that
if the humankind do not know the history, they cannot find any solution to
overcome their possible end. It is necessary to mention about what the history is
and what history tell us before giving information about important events in the
185
91
history of human being… History undoubtedly proves that while the nations which
depend on honesty, honor, working and ethics can naturally develop; the nations
who are lazy, dishonest and immoral always have to be disappointed and
perished186.
Cevat also put emphasis on scientific and methodological aspects of history
and history writing. In her article she gave a detailed account for the resources used
by history discipline and named the primary sources as asar-ı atika (cities, statues,
stone inscriptions, coins), the secondary sources as asar-ı mazbuta (kütüb-i
semaviye, muahedat, kavanin mecmuaları, mehakim ilamatı) and the third hand
sources as asar-ı menkule (oral history). She particularly emphasized on the fact
that primary and secondary sources were much more reliable for historians than
oral sources. Thus, she appreciated scientific historical methods.
Aliye Cevat seperated history into two as history of a hususi tarih (particular
nation) and umumi tarih (general history of human being). She favored general
history claiming that the specific history could not be wholly understood without
appealing to general history. She also put an emphasis on the necessity of keeping
history in contact with other disciplines. Geography, geology and linguistics must
186
Aliye Cevat, “Tarih Sayfaları”, May 26, 1329, No: 53 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared by
92
be the primary disciplines helping history187. She put a multidisciplinary approach
on history in those days.
In the articles published as Tarih Sayfaları, Aliye Cevat contiuned to inform
the reader about the content and methodology of history. She gave the
periodization of human history into four parts and named as Ancient, Medieval,
Modern Age, and Contemporary Age; and she conferred the classification of
ancient history into four periods as Stone Age, Neolithic Age, Bronze Age and Iron
Age. Cevat gives information also about historiography and history writing
beginning from the earliest history writing methods. She introduced many
historians from the ones in ancient times to contemporary historians of Muslim and
Christian worlds188.
In her following articles, Aliye Cevat released the history of some particular
civilizations in Tarih Sayfaları. To illustrate, she wrote on the history of Egyptians

189
and Punic Wars which fought by Rome and Carthage for several issues190.
187
Aliye Cevat, “Tarih Sayfaları”, May 26, 1329, No: 53 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared by
188
Aliye Cevat, “Tarih Sayfaları- 2”, May 30, 1329, No: 57 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared
189
Aliye Cevat, “Tarih Sayfaları- 3”, June 1, 1329, No: 59 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared by
190
Aliye Cevat, “Tarih Sayfaları- 6”, June 9, 1329, No: 67 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared by
93
When the ideas released through the articles in Kadınlar Dünyası concerning
education and history were evaluated together, it would be easily seen that the
knowledge and consciousness of history are regarded as vitally important for
growing up superior generations which would contribute to their country in the
way of welfare and development. For the women intellectuals of the time, history
itself and its knowledge were cements for a nation which dreams to be civilized. At
this point, women was attributed a significant responsibility of leading their
children to gain a sense of nationality through awareness of the past. When the
scientific approach in historiography was rising on the one hand, the historical
knowledge was using pedagogically on the other side. Ziya Gökalp also states that
the aim of “national history” was entirely pedagogical:
The best way of making the children loves their country and introducing their
nations as the most honorable one is to teach them merits and achievements of
their ancestors and telling them the glorious story of their nation. The ideals which
wanted to be owned by children for a good future can easily be indoctrinated
through history. The deepest the roots of three of ideals, the most fertile and
freshest its fruits in the future191.
Although history instrumentalized through the nationalist philosophy, the rise
of scientific approach in historiography also coincided with the period in which
191
Zeki Arıkan, “Tanzimat‟tan Cumhuriyet‟e Tarihçilik”, Tanzimat’tan Cumhuriyet’e Türkiye
Ansiklopedisi, Vol: 6, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 1985, p. 1592.
94
nationalism rising up192. Just a few years earlier than the emergence of Kadınlar
Dünyası in 1913, some associations having nationalist sensations were established.
One of them was the Türk Derneği (Turkish Association) which was founded on
December 24, 1908. The aim of the association was declared as teaching the
Ottoman people the history and historical heritage of all the Turkic tribes
throughout the history193. Some of these associations also served for development
of history as a science. Tarih-i Osmani Encümeni (The Council Ottoman History)
which was founded by Abdurrahman Şeref, Necib Asım and their friends in 1910
brought professional standards of history and its ancillary sciences and through its
periodical and other publications, it created many facilities of historical research 194.
The council also gave the primary examples of scientific approach on the problems
that how the sources of history should be used and how the documents should be
processed195.
Another important association promoting Turkish nationalism was founded in
1912 under the title of Türk Ocağı. The association of which aim was to exalt the
Turkish race and its language gave also effort for introducing the great Turks in the
history with new generations. The association is also important for the Ottoman
192
Halil Berktay, “Tarih Çalışmaları”, Cumhuriyet Dönemi Türkiye Ansiklopedisi, Vol: 9, İstanbul:
İletişim Yayınları: 1985, p. 2459.
193
194
Halil Berktay, “Tarih Çalışmaları”, Cumhuriyet Dönemi Türkiye Ansiklopedisi, Vol: 9, İstanbul:
İletişim Yayınları: 1985, p. 2459.
195
95
women‟s movement. Because the association was the first place the women
appeared as speechmaker in a public sphere196.
4.5. The Ideas Expressed in Kadınlar Dünyası Concerning Economy
The policies drawing the frame of economic developments after 1908 would
be listed as the legal regulations in the way of institutionalization of the capitalist
state, the efforts for supporting the industrialization and corporatization, and
primary attempts for the economic independence of which absence was seen as the
major factor for the latest setbacks of the Ottoman Empire. After 1908, the
approach of Unionists about economic independence was of a narrow political and
legal interpretation. It was only confined necessity to political aspects. They
emphasized on the privileges limited sovereignty of the State but could not solve
the relations of dependence aroused from the economic mechanisms of
imperialism197. Economy was overshadowed in the Empire when the reformist
attempts were focuses on fortifying and centralizing of the state. This narrow
perception mirrors also in the ideas released in Kadınlar Dünyası.
The characteristics of Ottoman economy between 1908 and 1914 can be
described as agrarian, industrially backward and import dependent. However,
despite of unsuitable conditions, the economy of Ottoman Empire shows the
196
Bernard Lewis. Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, p. 474-475.
197
Korkut Boratav, Türkiye İktisat Tarihi 1908- 2002, Ankara: İmge Kitabevi Yayınları, 2003, pp.
29- 31.
96
indication of revival to some extent. In 1913, Teşvik-i Sanayi Kanunu (The Law on
the Promotion of Industry) which gave privileges to the domestic entrepreneurs
was one of the stimulus of this revival198.
In this period, Türk Ocağı (Turkish Society) called people for emancipation of
the Ottoman country economically through a wide range activism pertaining to
national economy. Many activities were carried out in order to stimulate domestic
entrepreneurship. Milli İstihlak Cemiyeti (National Consuming Associaiton) was
founded on the July of 1913 and some campaigns were initiated so as to encourage
the consumption of domestic products199. According to Bernard Lewis, all these are
the preparatory steps of policy of national economy which would be flourished in
Republican era were taken in this period200.
Economy was one of the most discussing subject matter in the Kadınlar
Dünyası. Thus, resembling with the dominant economy politics of the period, the
most stressed issues in Kadınlar Dünyası were economic independence,
establishment of national economy, use of domestic products, private
entrepreneurship and industrial development. The roles attributed to women in all
these processes were one of the most often discussed issue in the articles of the
periodical concerning the economic life.
198
Korkut Boratav, Türkiye İktisat Tarihi 1908- 2002, Ankara: İmge Kitabevi Yayınları, 2003, pp.
32- 33.
199
Bernard Lewis. Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, p. 620.
200
Bernard Lewis. Modern Türkiye’nin Doğuşu, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2008, p. 309.
97
The writers of Kadınlar Dünyası in their writings expressed the importance of
economy in socio-political development of the country. In a Darü’l-Fünün
conference of which records were published in Kadınlar Dünyası, Nezihe Muhlis
explained the importance of the economy for the welfare of a country:
I think that the most remarkable reason for the misery of our country is about the
issue of economy. I searched as much as possible and I discovered that the
wellbeing of a country‟s financial conditions depends on prosperity of economic
life. I believe in that if we leave the laziness, we can recover the economic
condition of our country and became happy201.
Ulviye Macit is another writer of the periodical who wrote on the importance
of a suitable economy for the maintenance of a nation‟s economic life:
I think there is no Ottoman woman not knowing that our time is the age of
economy. Economy is like a vital element of life. Whether if a weak body which
lost blood was open to all kinds of illnesses, a country which have not suitable
economic conditions also equally weak and exhausted202.
On several occasions, many different writers of Kadınlar Dünyası expressed
their ideas on the importance of economic independence. The indispensability of
201
Nezihe Muhlis, “Konferans”April 6, 1329, No: 3 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by Tülay
Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 27-31.
202
Ulviye Macit, “Yurt Hemşirelerime”, April 11, 1329, No:8 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared
Kütüphanesi ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, pp. 78-79.
98
economic independence for the political autonomy was also emphasized. It is
stated that no matter how strong political structure it had, if a country had severe
economic problems, it was never able to be a self-governing state and never gained
the identity of an independent political body. A non autonomous state was always
dependent upon the preferences and interests of big powers. The women of
Kadınlar Dünyası thought that if a nation wanted to be act independently, it should
absolutely be rescued from economic dependency203. Based on a self experience
Emine Seher Ali lived, she criticized the economic dependency of the Ottoman
State upon the European ones:
Hoping to find some originally Turkish made goods, I and my firends visited many
shops and stores… We entered a stationer with thousands kind of products. We
could not find even a match stick made which was a domestically produced. We
were disappointed. Even if we visit too many shops and asked for different
products, all those we found were European. All the sources of our economy were
swiftly passing into the hands of Europeans. Complaining about this situation is
unnecessary. Instead, we should think hard on how we can stir our economic life
up204.
Kadınlar Dünyası allowed for some ideas commenting on the reasons for
economic dependency. One of the most important reasons was very limited
203
204
Emine Seher Ali, “İstihlâke Doğru!”, April 11, 1329, No:8 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared
99
production potential. Emine Seher Ali emphasized this issue with the following
words: “There is no need to complain abaout the weakening of industrial production and
trade in our country. Instead, we should search for the reasons of this situation.”205
Fatımatüzzehra also analysed the causes of economic depression and scarcity of
material production and reminded the reader old days of Ottoman market:
Each of our elders had a craftsmanship. All of them were tradesmen or artisans.
There were many different types of artisans among them and some were masters of
their profession. The amount of their production was well enough for everyone in
the country. I really don‟t know what happened to us. Neglecting our resources, we
brought their end206.
Women intellectuals writing for Kadınlar Dünyası binded the economic
dependency with the capitulations and concession agreements. They stated that
capitulations threaten economic and financial autonomy of the Ottoman Empire:
Capitulations which granted many privileges to foreigners are our fathers‟ mistake.
These old agreements are the sources of our current economic depression.
However, we granted these privileges in the past depending upon the power and
205
206
Fatımatüzzehra, “Teşebbüs-i Şahsi Ne Demektir” April 24, 1329, No: 21 in Kadınlar Dünyası
100
dignity of our state, today we should take them back believing on our insistence
and steadiness207.
Resembling the limited perspective of Unionists on economic independence,
the ideas released in Kadınlar Dünyası stressing on the privileges and relating
problems but did not pay attention to actual causes which submitted the country to
dependence resulting from imperialism.
In order to solve the problems like economic dependency, lack of production
and limited capacity of economic life; Kadınlar Dünyası suggested some solutions
to the people of the Ottoman state and the rulers. The establishment and
enhancement of national economy, augmentation of material production, the
improvement of domestic industry, promotion of domestic products‟ consumption
and encouragement of individual entrepreneurship were all subjects offered for the
proper national economy.
In Ulviye Macit‟s article took place in the 8th issue of the periodical in April
11, 1329 called her reader to protect national economy:
Soldiers, armed forces or castles… None of them save us from being defeated.
Because these are all related with material beings. The power based on material
beings are always defeated by a stronger one, but the sense of nationality and the
love of country in the hearts of the patriots are undefeatable. Let‟s love our nation.
207
101
Let‟s be proud of what our nation produces. Let‟s cheerish them into the most
special corner of your houses. Let‟s care for our industry which is about to die.
Let‟s buy their safe, strong and qualified products and make them happy… Let‟s
raise our children with this sensitivity and protect our crafts and craftsmen208.
Some articles mentioned the foundation of some associations aiming to
improve national economy, supported domestic manufacturing and encouraged the
use national products. In some others, the periodical gave detailed information
about the policies and programs of these associations. Some of the important
associations explored in the periodical are Esirgeme Derneği (the Association for
Protection), Milli İstihlak Cemiyeti (The National Consuming Association) and
Mamulâtı Dahiliye İstihlâki Kadınlar Cemiyet-i Hayriyesi (Domestic Products
Women‟s Association).
As a solution for overcoming the economic depression and economic
dependency, in the articles of Kadınlar Dünyası, it was repeatedly stressed the use
of national products many times in its articles. Kadınlar Dünyası voiced to the
women in a Darü’l-fünun conference of which records published in the periodical
in its third issue on April 6, 1913: “Please wear our own products even if they are rough
and inadequate. If it is not possible, do your shopping in the Muslim shops at least. The
welfare and happiness of our nation relies on this.”209
208
Ulviye Macit, “Yurt Hemşirelerime”, April 11, 1329, No: 8 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared
102
Moreover, Atiye Şükran recommended shopkeepers to place domestic
merchandises on the shelves of their shops. She also called them to inform their
clients about the origin and the place of production of the commodities they sell.
She thought that in this way, both domestic industry could be supported and native
manufacturers could learn what the consumer need. Additionally, Atiye Şükran
stated that if the Ottoman people attempted to use home produced goods, the
number of manufacturers and factories and also amount of production would level
up210. Another writer of Kadınlar Dünyası supporting the consumption of national
goods is Aziz Haydar. In her article titled Yerli Malları (Domestic Goods), Aziz
Haydar appreciated the rise in the consumption of national goods and adviced their
consumption rather than the boycotting due to their low quality. Furthermore, the
author suggested women refraining from discrimination to do their shopping in a
store named Terakki operated by a non-Muslim Ottoman. In a manner of Ottoman
nationalism, Aziz Haydar said “We prefer to attend also the shops of our non-Muslim
citizens, as long they sell domestic goods.”211
209
210
Atiye Şükran, “Bilmek İsteriz”, April 21, 1329, No: 18 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by
211
Aziz Haydar, “Yerli Malları”, May 26, 1329, No: 52 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. II (prepared by
103
One of the important aspects of modernist ideology of the time and Unionist
economy politics was the promotion of individual entrepreneurship. The writers of
Kadınlar Dünyası also supported individual entrepreneurs through their writings.
In her article titled Teşebbüs-i Şahsi Ne Demektir? (What Does Individual
Entrepreneurship Mean?), Fatımatüzzehra Hanım described individual
entrepreneurship as being individualistic and self-confident, progressive and
capable. She underlined the importance of courage and entrepreneurship in
business and individual initiative in economic development212.
The writers of the periodical sometimes gave several examples about some
entrepreneurs and their business in order to lead women readers of the periodical to
do business and establish manufacturing facilities. They also gave room to the
demands and announcements of some new enterprises in their articles.
Furthermore, they tried to guide women who want to do business and they
recommended some business opportunities that have economic potential. To
illustrate, Atiye Şükran, in her article titled Bir Müteşebbis Daha (One More
Entrepreneur) told the women in details how a textile plant could be established
and operated213.
212
Fatımatüzzehra, “Teşebbüs-i Şahsi Ne Demektir” April 24, 1329, No: 21 in Kadınlar Dünyası
213
Atiye Şükran, “Bir Müteşebbis Daha”, May 6, 1329, No: 33 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I
104
Kadınlar Dünyası writing articles focusing on economy attributed some roles
to women during the processes of nationalization of economy, improving domestic
manufacturing, promotion of national merchandizing and individual private
enterprise. According to Emine Seher Ali, the progress of the men depended on
women‟s improvement just like the development of national industry relied on
women‟s effort214. She stated in another article that the single aim was to advance
the situation of womankind and consequently national unity and thus ended the
troubles that the nation suffered for a century215. As it was seen that women and
their interference in economic life was accepted as the instrument of total
improvement of Ottoman country.
With its anonymous writers, the article titled İçtimai (Social) in coloumn of
certain intervals of the periodical attributed the responsibility of economic
independence of the nation from the European powers to Ottoman women:
Who will free our pitiful people from the yoke of European economy? Do the
men? Never… We do not expect any effort from them anymore but how nice if the
womankind improve themselves and are able to bring into a new generation… but
214
215
Emine Seher Ali, “Anasır-ı Osmaniye”, April 13, 1329, No:10 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I
105
now the source of our hope is the women. However, please do not weep. Let‟s
come into action. Let‟s get used to crafts and craftsmanship216.
Pakize Nihat in her article written for the 30th issue of the Kadınlar Dünyası
titled Sanayi-i Nisvan (Women in Industry) demonstrated European women and
their enthusiasm in production as example for the Ottoman women. She stated that
there were many girls‟ school for industry and trade but the Ottoman country
neither had vocational colleges nor was able to establish new plants or factories.
According to her, the Ottoman women also did not dare to do business. She voiced
that if both men and women, altogether, engaged in a profession and contributed to
national manufacturing; both the Ottoman country and its people would reach
welfare and abundance217.
216
İçtimai, “Cesaret-i Medeniye”, April 24, 1329, No: 21 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by
ve Bilgi Merkezi Vakfı, 2009, p. 209.
217
Pakize Nihat, “Sanayi-i Nisvan”, May 3, 1329, No: 30 in Kadınlar Dünyası Vol. I (prepared by
106
CONCLUSION
Although some historical evidences referred in the related chapter of this thesis
shows that the isolation of Turkish women from society after the adoption of Islam
was not an overall process and women‟s alienation from social life was not so
strongly felt even in early Ottoman period. It is, however, a fact that after the
adoption of Islam by Turkish communities, the status of Turkish women
deteriorated. Especially after the Eastward expansion of the Ottoman state and
popular practice of a social system based on the Islamic Law, various social
changes emerged. In such a changing context, with the growing effect of religious
rules on the one hand, and influence of Arab, Iranian and Byzantine cultures on the
other, the role of women in social, cultural and economic life gradually deteriorated
just like their judicial rights.
Whatever the reason for women being held unequal to men with line drawn in
between physically and mentally, the important aspect of the theme of this study is
the restoration of what was lost for women in the context of Turkish modernization
process. It is important to know what the developments concerning women were
prior to initial steps taken towards re-elevating the status of women in social life.
To understand the mechanisms of women‟s revival in family and social life is of
great significance to apprehend whether women‟s gains during the Tanzimat and
Constitutional eras are the results of the rehabilitation of women rights through the
ideology indoctrinated by the ruling elites or an organized activism claiming
women rights pursued by predominantly women followers.

107
What this study claims is that the Ottoman women‟s movement, which
naturally led women to become aware of their own identities and rights, was not so
much the result of their own consciousness, as was the politicians and modern
bureaucratic elite holding them as an object for the political projects in different
phases of Turkish modernization. In fact, the late Tanzimat modernists did
emphasize women among their modernity suggestions and in their writings.
Indeed, it is impossible regard all steps of Turkish modernization respect to
women‟s rights, but the Second Constitutional Era in which some of the most
dramatic changes in all fields of life was carried out serves best for this. One of the
most important publication organs for the women movement in the Second
Constitutional Era, Kadınlar Dünyası holds various important articles supporting
the varying conditions of women. The ideas and debates of writers in the periodical
contained the necessary information to understand how the Ottoman intellectual
women perceived social and political developments of the period and how they
located themselves in this socio-political context. These also gave the reader a
chance to analyse to what extent women‟s own perception of their role and rights
resembled with the policy makers. These compose the evaluation this thesis aims to
classify.
It was not until the Tanzimat Era that the demands in the way of reinstating the
status of women were heralded. The development throughout this era may be
regarded as the turning point in terms of women‟s rights owing to the fact that the
era which introduced a new outlook to this laid down many changes in different
fields such as law and order, education and social life. Additionally, women and
108
the problems they encountered became one of the popular issues debated in some
literary works and articles published in some newspapers and periodicals. To
secure social integration throughout the country and to assure centralization and
fortification of the state were the principal aims of the Tanzimat reforms. It is not
surprising that the necessity for the improvement of women‟s status were evaluated
within the same context. The role and status of women were reformulated in order
to reform their social status and to introduce women equipped with adequate
abilities to integrate others into society. It should be stated that people advocating
women‟s rights in the Tanzimat Era were almost all men at first.
With the beginning of the Second Constitutional Era, one of the most striking
sociological aspects is that corporatism and solidarity became one of the main
focuses of government policies. The family as the smallest but the most vital
solidarity group was one of the priorities of the Unionists in their social reform
policies. The Turkish family was held as a part of politics under the conditions of
warfare and the role of family and naturally women were reformulated socially and
politically by the Young Turks. Taking reflections from this view, the Ottoman
women became more apparent in social life. The great intellectual improvements
during this period guided women to claim a more active role both in social and
economic life through charity associations. The associations established and
periodicals issued by women became the major instruments to defend their rights in
an organized way. The fact that women were more visible in this period mostly
through the charity associations actually was the outcome of the role ascribed to
women as a crucial part of national solidarity. Why the women‟s revival in social
109
and family life was so important for the CUP rulers is that women were recognized
as the key figure in securing solidarity in both family and society through the roles
attributed to them.
The socio-political and ideological changes undergone during the first years of
Second Constitutional Era had also great effect on the issues publishing in many
women‟s periodicals and the articles in the women‟s periodicals stated the policies
of the period. To illustrate, constitutionalism was eagerly welcomed by women‟s
periodicals and these periodicals repeatedly stated that the constitutional regime
was essential for the welfare of the nation. Although, there are many other
important women‟s periodicals in the period of Second Constitutional Era,
Kadınlar Dünyası differs from the others in respect of its considerably important
role in the women movement. Actually, the essential importance of the periodical
is derived from the fact that the articles in its many different issues provide the
researcher questioning opportunities of that what kind of a role women held both as
an object and as a subject in the process of modernization. When the original texts
in the first 100 daily issues of the periodical are studied, it is clearly seen that the
ideas of women on the role they chose of themselves were mostly similar with
those of the ruling men, and the articles were mostly the ones stimulating the idea
of national identity, historical consciousness, qualified education and a corporate
enthusiasm for social and economic development.
The demands of the writers of Kadınlar Dünyası for the improvement of
education overlapped with the objectives of the government regarding the

110
educational reforms. The modernist ideology of some intellectuals and rulers was
attributed one of the most crucial roles to the education in the way of development
as also often done by the writers of Kadınlar Dünyası. If the accounts of the
periodical‟s writers are examined in a broader sense, it can easily be seen that
education all by itself was a national issue for the writers of Kadınlar Dünyası as
much as it was a great problem for women. Also, the intellectual women of the
time were really conscious of the function ascribed to them within the new modern
social system as a key component in the mechanism of the development of the
society and country. It was widely considered that the future generations who
would contribute to the progress of the country would be brought up by only
properly educated mothers. That is why women‟s education was regarded as
closely related with the education of children. There are so many accounts in
Kadınlar Dünyası to demonstrate that calls for women‟s better education were
rather related with the ideal of social progress than feminist priorities and
perceptions.
Besides the lack of education which was treated as one of the most important
reasons preventing a nation from development; lack of historical and national
consciousness was also given great importance by Kadınlar Dünyası writers as one
of the vital problems that should be resolved. When the ideas released through the
articles in Kadınlar Dünyası were analysed, it is simply that the knowledge and
consciousness of history were regarded as crucially important for bringing up
superior generations in terms of their contribution to welfare and development of
the country. The responsibility which was intellectually imposed upon women was
111
that they should lead their children to get a sense of nationality through awareness
of the past.
Like in the issues of education and consciousness of history, the ideas of
Kadınlar Dünyası writers concerning the problem of national economy resembled
the economy politics of the ruling elite. The issues often discussed in periodical
were economic independence, establishment of national economy, use of domestic
products, private entrepreneurship and industrial development. On several
occasions, many writers of Kadınlar Dünyası expressed their ideas on the
importance of economic independence through nationalistic inclinations to some
extent. The frequently repeated suggestions of the writers of the periodical to the
government for the establishment and enhancement of national economy, fortifying
of material production, the improvement of domestic industry, promotion of
domestic products‟ consumption and encouragement of individual entrepreneurship
bore all the signs of nationalistic tendencies that the writers of the periodical shared
with the policy makers of the period. To illustrate, the promotion of individual
entrepreneurship was among most frequently stated fact in the lines of the articles
as one of the important aspects of modernist ideology.
To sum up, the results of this thesis explicitly show that the mentality of
defenders voicing women‟s rights was the progressive outlook which selected this
as the focus on the way of providing social progress. Women were seen as the
social instrument for supplying not only social progress but also social integration,
solidarity, national consciousness and progressiveness. This research also affirmed

112
that the boundaries of Ottoman women‟s movement and the social role granted for
them in the modernization process were not wholly determined by women
themselves but predominantly by the policymakers of the state who were all men.
The self-evaluation of women intellectuals about their struggle for women‟s
emancipation and the roles ascribed to them in the process of modernization also
confirmed that this assertion is so plausible. Instead of compiling from different
second hand sources, this study aims to discover through a very significant first-
hand historical resource, the Kadınlar Dünyası Periodical, that the self-evaluation
of women intellectuals in many different articles in the periodical demonstrate to
what extent the women‟s own perception of their effort for securing women‟s
rights resembled with the modern bureaucratic elite‟s and intelligentsia‟s point of
view concerning the women question and to what degree the motivations which
lead women to defend their own rights differed from the ones driving the men of
ruling bureaucratic milieu and intelligentsia to support women rights. It should be
stated that the similitude between the motivations lie behind the promotion of
women rights by the enlightened women and modern bureaucratic elites of the
Second Constitutional Era cause women and their struggle to be a “political
instrument” within the overall modernization process rather than an “ideal” of their
gender, although the women held a considerable progress in their status during the
Ottoman modernization process, main goals of which were centralization,
modernization and fortification of state apparatus. The reduction of the efforts for
women‟s rights to the degree of political instruments was resulted from also the
fact that the consciousness about women‟s right were restricted to a narrow society
including modern bureaucratic milieu and could not be a widespread movement

113
advocated by masses in addition to intelligentsia and policy maker bureaucratic
elite of the time.
There are several factors contributing to this situation. The empire‟s vast
territory, its decentralized structure and heterogeneous composition led the
modernization process to be limited with a restricted area. The comprehensive
reform program in social, economic and educational life offered through the
modernization movement could not receive massive acknowledgement by society
and restricted only to big urban areas. The efforts for defending women‟s rights
within the framework of modernization process were also confined to a certain
amount of territory and population. The fact that the empire was still preserving its
theocratic character also played an important role in the restriction of both
modernization process and spread of the consciousness about women‟s right. The
milieu which advocated women‟s rights restricted only to certain number of
intellectuals and ruling elite whose principal goals were rather national progress,
centralization and fortification of the state than gender consciousness and human
rights. The warfare conditions the empire often encountered throughout the Second
Constitutional Era were one of the other reasons giving way to ascription of a
passive role to the women. Because, women were held as a key figure in assuring
national solidarity in the warfare conditions.
Consequently, as a matter of fact that, as this study analyzes the handicaps of
women‟s movement during the first years of Second Constitutional Era, some
encouraging features of it should also be emphasized. The parameters of the

114
“women question” during the early Republican Era were laid down in the Second
Constitutional Era. The women intellectuals of the young Turkish Republic who
were the pioneers in the struggle for women‟s emancipation that Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk vitalized, received feedbacks from the socio-political developments and the
Ottoman women‟s movement of the Second Constitutional Era. Thus, the prior
attempts during the early Republican Era to establish women in the society
equipped them with a steppingstone towards acquiring full emancipation.
115
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CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF TURKISH WOMEN DURING THE OTTOMAN

MODERNIZATION AND SELF-EVALUATION OF WOMEN IN KADINLAR

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

Prof. Dr. Meliha AltunıĢık

Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal Akgün

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur

Examining Committee Members

Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal Akgün (METU, HIST)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur (METU, HIST)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ceylan Tokluoğlu (METU, SOC)

Name, Last name : Ceren Aygül

CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF TURKISH WOMEN DURING THE OTTOMAN

MODERNIZATION AND SELF-EVALUATION OF WOMEN IN KADINLAR

M.A., Department of History

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur

August 2010, 121 pages

during Ottoman modernization period.

women themselves or theorized predominantly by the policymakers of the state who

“women question” during the early Republican Era.

Keywords: The Second Constitutional Era, Ottoman Women’s Movement, Women

Periodicals, Kadınlar Dünyası

OSMANLI MODERNLEġMESĠNDE TÜRK KADINININ STATÜSÜNDEKĠ

DEĞĠġĠM VE 1913 KADINLARI DÜNYASI DERGĠSĠ’NDE KADINLARIN BU

Yüksek Lisans, Tarih Bölümü

Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Recep Boztemur

Ağustos 2010, 121 sayfa

Dergisi yazarlarının gözünden bakmaya çalıĢan bu tez çalıĢması, kadının toplumdaki ve

hareketi çerçevesinde kazandığı anlamları ve bu dönemde Osmanlı kadınına dönemin

yöneticileri ve düĢünce insanları tarafından atfedilen rolleri incelemek amacındadır.

Bu araĢtırmada, kadının toplumsal yaĢama katılımını savunan anlayıĢın, kadının

durumunun iyileĢtirilmesini toplumsal ilerleme, dayanıĢma, birlik ve beraberlik ile milli

olduğu fikri doğrulanmaya çalıĢılmıĢtır. Bu doğrultuda II. MeĢrutiyet Dönemi’nin en

sınırlarının ve modernleĢme döneminde kadınlara atfedilen toplumsal rollerin kadınların

kendileri tarafından mı belirlendiği yoksa dönemin idarecileri tarafından mı kurgulandığı

sorusu akılda tutularak incelenmeye çalıĢılmıĢtır. Kadınların kendi durumlarına ve kendi

hak mücadelelerine bakıĢlarını Kadınlar Dünyası Dergisi’nde yayınladıkları makaleler

vasıtasıyla değerlendirmeye çalıĢan bu tez; dönemin gereksinimleri doğrultusunda milli

dönemi kadın hakları mücadelesinin çerçevesini belirleyen önemli kazanımlar elde

edilmesini sağlasa da - kadınların değiĢmeyen “tarihsel nesne” pozisyonunu

değiĢtirmeye yetmediğini vurgulamaktadır.

Boztemur for his guidance, encouragement and confidence in my studies throughout my

significant for me and I extend my thanks to him, as well.

this thesis. His existence in my life is the source of my academic enthusiasm.

this difficult time but also throughout my life.

always they were always by my side during this challenging time.

ve Bilgi Vakfı for providing me with the necessary primary sources.

1. A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF WOMEN’S POSITION IN TURKISH

SOCIETY UNTIL THE IMPERIAL EDICT OF 1839…...........................................10

1.1. The Woman in the Old Turkish Tradition……………....................................12

1.2. Turkish Women in Social Life After the Adoption of Islam……....................14

1.3. Women in Ottoman Society until the Tanzimat Era……………....................18

2. OTTOMAN WOMEN FROM TANZIMAT TO

THE SECOND CONSTITUTIONAL ERA................................................................24

2.1 Summary of Political Developments during Tanzimat……….………………25

2.2. Ottoman Women and Their Judicial Rights………………...……..................27

2.3. Ottoman Women and Education………………………....………..................30

2.4. Ottoman Women in Literature…....……………………....……….................35

3. OTTOMAN WOMEN DURING THE FIRST YEARS OF SECOND

in the Context of Socio-Political Developments……….........................................49