The representation of women as gendered national subjects in Ottoman-Turkish novels (1908-1923)

Abstract

In order to understand the ongoing production of gendered nation in Anderson's sense, which is mainly realized in the cultural domain, novels can play a significant role in terms of representing the imagined boundaries and functioning as mediums through which cultural difference is expressed. As mentioned by Jean Franco, the novel can be used as a means to work out imaginary solutions to different and conflicting problems through the representation of some imaginary figures. The aim of this article is to examine the representation of women's images in novels in the pre-Republican (Ottoman-Turkish) and early Republican period (1908-1923) in order to analyze the formation of gendered national identity. Women's images in these novels offer important clues towards having a better understanding of the production of gendered nationhood and exploring the specific characteristics of Turkish nationalism such as Westernization, the notion of collective soul, women's sexuality, emancipation and education. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.