Paradoxes of a cold war sufi woman: Sâmiha Ayverdi between Islam, nationalism, and modernity

Date
2013
Authors
Aytürk, İ.
Mignon, L.
Advisor
Instructor
Source Title
New Perspectives on Turkey
Print ISSN
Electronic ISSN
1305-3299
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Volume
49
Issue
Pages
57 - 89
Language
English
Type
Article
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract

Widely recognized by nationalists, Islamists and conservatives as the heroine of the Turkish Right in the twentieth century, Sâmiha Ayverdi influenced the renaissance of right-wing politics in Turkey as an important leader of the Rifaî order, a prolific author, an unyielding anti-communist, and finally as an institution-builder for right-wing causes. This article focuses on the apparent paradoxes in Ayverdi's long career, such as her modernist interpretation of Islam, her relationship with her sufi master, preference for memoirs, and her unabashed elitism. Such characteristics defy clichés associated with the stereotypical conservative/nationalist/ Islamist intellectual in Cold War Turkey. Our in-depth study of Ayverdi's works thus reveals the complexity of right-wing identities, and the fact that our protagonist is an outspoken woman intellectual also adds an important twist to the story.

Course
Other identifiers
Book Title
Keywords
Ayverdi, Kemalism, Minorities - Turkey, Muslim women, Narratives of the self, Sufism, Turkish literature, Turkish nationalism
Citation
Published Version (Please cite this version)