The Caucasus and Turkeyturkey
The development of women’s studies in Turkey
in academic units at universities in the 1990s owes
much to the changes in social and cultural politics
in the country which were accelerated in the 1970s
and 1980s. In this period, activist women aimed at
eliminating the androcentric biases and the unbal-
anced gender dynamics of epistemology in social
sciences (Kandiyoti 1996, 2–3, Abadan-Unat 1995,
15). The 1980 coup d’état created a political vac-
uum in which several women’s groups formed a
movement and expressed a secular response to the
rising Islamic fundamentalism (Y. Arat 1995, 80,
Doltaç 1995, 61).
The 1980s mark the initial efforts of mapping
histories and preparing translations of feminist
research that developed outside Turkey. Women’s
journals and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) focused on issues such as domestic vio-
lence, women’s rights, and political participation.
A group of women established the journal Somut
(Concrete) in 1983. Several publications followed
this initial attempt (Y. Arat 1995, 80), including
feminist(sic), and the socialist feminist journal
Kaktüs(Cactus). The Womens’ Solidarity Asso-
ciation was established in 1989. The Women’s
Library in Istanbul, established in 1991, is the first
and only documentation center that houses infor-
mation on women in many languages.
After these developments outside academia, the
institutionalization of academic women’s studies in
Turkey developed in the early 1990s in two distinc-
tive structures: in research centers with interdisci-
plinary research teams and in departments with
courses in graduate and undergraduate programs.
The development and institutionalization of women’s
and gender studies in Europe and the United States
influenced Turkish academia. For example, the
1991 meeting organized by Frauen Anstiftung in
Bonn made scholars think about institutionaliza-
tion and its effects (Akkent 1994).
Marmara University Research and Implemen-
tation Center for the Employment of Women was
established in 1992. Istanbul University Women’s
Research and Education Center launched its classes
in the academic year 1991/2, and the Women’s
Studies Department opened in 1993 with an inter-
Women’s Studies Programs in Muslim Countries
disciplinary curriculum for graduate students.
Ankara University Women’s Studies Center (KA-
SAUM) was established in 1993 with an interdisci-
plinary perspective for feminist research, education,
and networking with women’s organizations and
NGOs. The Department of Women’s Studies was
established in 1996, offering courses on theories
and methodology of social sciences and women’s
studies, history of feminist thought, and the women’s
movement.
The Middle East Technical University (METU)
Gender and Women Studies Center organizes sem-
inars and activities on women’s issues, publishes
articles and research, provides gender training, and
maintains close links with women’s NGOs. Gender
and Women’s Studies at METU is an interdiscipli-
nary program, established in 1994 as a part of the
Graduate School of Social Sciences. The Gender
and Women’s Studies Graduate Program is the
only program in Turkey that carries the word “gen-
der” in its title, offering both thesis and non-thesis
alternatives.
Mersin University Women Studies Center (MER-
KAM) was established in 1997 with different work-
ing groups, mostly using volunteer efforts of the
academic personnel and NGOs. They focus on form-
ing and maintaining databases and publications,
networking with NGOs, organizing seminars and
meetings, and offering vocational training for women.
Çankaya University Women’s Research Center
and Van Yüzüncü Yıl University’s Women’s Re-
search Center (YUKAM) were both established in- Ege University Women’s Studies Research
Center conducts research on women’s issues. Es-
tablished in 2000, Ege University Women’s Studies
Graduate Program offers classes on gender and the
history of the women’s movement.
Other centers for women’s studies include Atılım
University (Ankara), Çukurova University (Adana),
Eskiçehir Anadolu University (Eskiçehir), Gazi Uni-
versity (Ankara), and Hacettepe University (Ankara).
Gender courses are also integrated into the cur-
ricula of other academic establishments, mostly in
the departments of sociology, anthropology, and
literature. There is a debate as to whether women’s
studies is a discipline in and of itself or an interdis-
ciplinary area. Questions relate to pedagogical and
methodological issues. Curricula for women’s and
gender studies programs are not yet fully expanded