Claiming mosque space: women’s agency in mosque architecture in contemporary Turkey

Abstract

Traditionally, there has been an attribution of public spaces to males and private spaces of domesticity to females; moreover, mosques have been patriarchal spaces. Since the 90s, as both Islamism and feminism are on the rise, public places and topics on women’s roles have been reinterpreted. Under the power of an Islamist party, Turkey witnessed an increase in women’s role in mosque architecture in the last 20 years. Mosque projects that consider and welcome women are carried out, and women as mosque designers became visible. Unlike Islamist feminists’ debate around the world, in which the topic is on ‘women-only’, ‘gender-mixed’, and ‘women-focused/women-led’ mosques, in Turkey, the debate has been on the two genders sharing the same space. This research is an inquiry into the changing role of women and their relation to the production of mosque spaces, focusing on Turkey. Firstly, the research focuses on creating a theoretical framework and gives information on gender politics and Islamic space. Later, it looks into women as the agents; users of mosques where they appropriate the men’s space, and designers of mosques and their roles in relation to the authority in mosque architecture. Five different case studies by different female architects or designers are chosen in which they occupy various positions in the mosque design. Field research, observations, architectural analyses, and literature review are done; also, interviews are conducted with the architects. This research aims to contribute to feminist discourse with the inclusion of Muslim women and tries to understand women’s claim and their work on equality in the religious space.