"Where are they doing politics?" Women's cooperatives as sites of constellations of power

Abstract

Being more spatially accessible and offering more channels, the active participation of women in local politics is more likely than in national politics. On the other hand, active political engagement in local politics may render women as more marked and may lead to her public credibility being defined through her sexuality. This work analyzes the underrepresentation of women in local politics in Turkey by giving voice to elected women of local elections in 2009. By emphasizing regional differences and local specificities within Turkey, this work scrutinizes the virile structure of local politics and dynamics through 120 in-depth interviews conducted in different parts of Turkey.