Headscarf Politics in Turkey: A Postcolonial Reading

206 Pages·2010·3.674 MB·English

by  Merve Kavakci Islam (auth.)

HEADSCARF POLITICS IN TURKEY
PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS
Siyasetin Oyunu [The Game of Politics] (2008)
Ortunun Altinda Kalanlar [Hidden Under the Veil] (2008)
Bati’da Musluman Olmak [To Be Muslim in the West] (2008)
Dunyanin Guzel Insanlari [Beautiful People of the Earth] (2008)
Basortusuz Demokrasi [Scarfless Democracy] (2004, trans. to: Arabic and Persian)
HEADSCARF POLITICS IN
TURKEY
A POSTCOLONIAL READING
Merve Kavakci Islam
Foreword by John L. Esposito
and
Afterword by Lord Eric Avebury
Palgrave
macmillan
HEADSCARF POLITICS IN TURKEY
Copyright © Merve Kavakci Islam, 2010.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-10665-9
All rights reserved.
First published in 2010 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-29028-4 ISBN 978-0-230-11394-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230113947
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kavakçi Islam, Merve.
Headscarf politics in Turkey : a postcolonial reading / Merve Kavakci
Islam ; foreword by John L. Esposito and afterword by Lord Eric Avebury.
p. cm.
1. Hijab (Islamic clothing)—Turkey. 2. Hijab (Islamic clothing)—Law
and legislation—Turkey. 3. Muslim women—Clothing—Turkey. 4. Islam
and politics—Turkey. I. Title.
HQ1726.7.K38 2010
305.48(cid:2)894350090511—dc22 2010013863
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: October 2010
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Transferred to Digital Printing in 2011
To her;
who cared,
fed,
smiled,
and left;
My grandma.
CONTENTS
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
Foreword by John L. Esposito xiii
List of Abbreviations of Political Parties in the Study xvii
Chronology of Significant Events xix
1 Introduction 1
2 Women in Nation-Building 13
3 Politics of Religion (1938–2000s) 41
4 Social and Political Implications of the Ban on Headscarf 99
5 In search of Education, Employment, and More 131
6 Conclusion: The Road Ahead: What’s in Store
for Başörtülü Kadınlar? 145
Afterword by Lord Eric Avebury 155
Notes 157
Bibliography 179
Index 193
FIGURES
Cover Image A junior high school student amidst male and female
police officers (2001). Photo by Ibrahim Usta for Zaman Gazetesi
3.1 DSP members jeering at the oath ceremony in
the parliament. Photo by Anadolu Ajansı 77
3.2 Students protesting the ban. Photo by Anadolu Ajansı 94
3.3 Student holding a sign: Do not touch my friend. Above,
pictures of two women, a Turkish woman with a headscarf
and an African American woman from Alabama.
Photo by Anadolu Ajansı 95
3.4 A student adjusting her wig at the school entrance.
Photo by Anadolu Ajansı 96
3.5 Parents who wear wigs over their headscarves at
the graduation ceremony at Atatürk University.
Photo by Sabah Gazetesi 97
4.1 The valedictorian of nursing school at
Sivas Cumhuriyet University attacked by a classmate,
1990s. Extracted from news clip at Star broadcasting channel 101
4.2 Junior high school students taken into police custody
because they wait at the school gate. Photo by Anadolu Ajansı 102
4.3 A junior high school student amidst male and
female police officers (2001). Photo by
Ibrahim Usta for Zaman Gazetesi 103
4.4 Lieutenant General Aslan Güner leaving the protocol to
avoid First Lady Gül. Photo by Anadolu Ajansı 115
4.5 İmam Hatip students breaking under the stress of
the ban while hoping to go into their classrooms.
Photo by Vakit Gazetesi 121
4.6 Police blockade on the way to school. Photo by ÖNDER 121
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to Dr. Mervat Hatem, Dr. Jane Flax, Dr. John Cotman,
and Dr. Sulayman Nyang for their support, guidance, and encourage-
ment during my research. I am indebted to Dr. Nyang for sharing his
invaluable insights and helping me find my niche in Washington, D.C.
to pursue my academic aspirations. In fact, one day in late Spring 2004,
during a meeting at his office, the very first seeds of this process were
inadvertently planted that eventually led to the production of this book.
Dr. Flax and Dr. Cotman, both beacons of their field, walked me through
the worlds of political theory and comparative political analysis respec-
tively, guiding me through the plethora of knowledge on a wide range
of issues from rights dilemmas to challenges of nation-state building. In
this process, last but not least, I am grateful to Dr. Mervat Hatem, who
was my immediate advisor. She was my teacher, my mentor, my senior
colleague, and my guide who walked with me every step of the way that
led to this day. Without her assistance I could not have produced this
book. I also thank Dr. Zahid Bukhari for providing his constructive
critique at the end of my research.
I am thankful to Dr. John Esposito for writing the foreword for this
work, my first book in English. To have received his support, as a lumi-
nary in many of the areas covered here, is an invaluable contribution. I
am grateful to Lord Eric Avebury for writing the afterword. His contri-
bution as someone who is known for his commitment to empowerment
of the disenfranchised, the minorities, and women all around the world
is indispensible. I am thankful to Ambassador Swanee Hunt, an academic
and ex-politician like myself, for her support throughout the years. She
encouraged me, a former student of hers, to continue to stand up for
what I believed in and always to remember that nothing is impossible. I
am elated that she spared the time to read the manuscript and shared her
thoughts in a blurb. To Dr. Noam Chomsky, a legend in the world of aca-
demia and more so in the empirical world of human rights and civil lib-
erties, as a former teaching fellow of his, I pay my heartfelt appreciation
for offering his comments in the blurb. I cannot take his contribution for
xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
granted. I am thankful to Dr. Ümit Cizre for her support through her
constructive comments. To have received her endorsment is a great honor
in of itself. I also thank Richard Peres for his assistance in the editing
process of the manuscript and the creation of the index.
In addition to the strength I received in the academic world through
the contributions of the aforementioned luminaries, I am also surrounded
by a familial support group that deserves recognition and to share the
fruits of my endeavor. I am indebted to my parents—my mother who is
my role model and my father who has always been there for me, listened
to my naggings, and responded with a glimpse of hope and a smile. As
usual Ravza, was instrumental to ensure that the deadlines were met
without respite during the publication preparation process. Elif, shared
most of my motherhood responsibilities and managed the background. I
am grateful for their sisterhood support. My special thanks belong to my
daughters, the light of my life, Fatima and Mariam, for being who they
are and for being mature and patient enough to support their mom on
this strenuous road. Without them, I would not be where I am.
Alhamdulillahi Rabb- al-Alemin (praise be to the Owner of the universe)
for situating me at the right institution, among the right people, and
increasing my knowledge.
Merve Kavakci
February 28, 2010,
Washington, D.C.