Week 12- Deniz Kandiyoti

The later years of the Ottomans saw the emergence of feminist movements across the empire. The Tanzimat Era (1839) called for reforms that made the empire look towards the West as a model for modernity. Aside from dissolving the Janissary Corps and the establishment of a more sophisticated taxation system, the Ottoman Empire turned to gender equality as one of the goals of the reform. Opening up the "woman question" is a sign of progress for the Ottomans. Before, women did not really play much of a role in Ottoman society, so the Tanzimat Era changed the norms. This meant giving women more freedom, socially and politically. Fast forward to 1923, the new Republic of Turkey was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who also served as the first president. The Kemalist regime  pushed for westernization through his Reforms. One of the most significant ones is to give women the right to vote and hold office in the 1930s. This significant step was too progressive even for Grace Ellison, an English woman who thinks it's too "strange" for women to take on huge roles. Ataturk continued to promote the emancipation of women with more reforms. It seems like women have a strong control at this point. For example, female leaders from Fatma Aliye Hanim, Halide Edib, to Ataturk's wife, Latife, emerged during these times to continue promoting women's rights in the country.