
ESI report: Sex and Power in Turkey. Feminism, Islam and the Maturing of Turkish Democracy (2 June 2007)
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"The European Stability Initiative prepared a report on Turkey entitled 'Sex and Power: Feminism, Islam and the Maturing of Turkish Democracy.' The argument is that from 2001 onwards legislative changes, initiatives to combat domestic violence and efforts to increase the schooling of girls triggered a 'female revolution.' We did not miss the opportunity to discuss this claim on 8 March Women's Day".
Necla Arat (founder of the Center for Women's Research and Education at Istanbul University): "The report frequently states that the most radical reforms were conducted under AKP's rule… The report also denigrates the Republican demonstrations… The rights and the wrongs of this partial report should be debated."
Leyla Pervizat (Feminist Researcher): "The report claims that Turkey, legislatively, is now post-patriarchal. However there are still serious problems… The Turkish Penal Code does not use the term "honour killing." Moreover, the state still allows men to be in charge of women's honour."
Aylin Aslim (singer), "I am not aware of a revolution. The government is men, the laws are men, the decision makers are men."
Nihal Bengisu Karaca (journalist): "For matters that could very well stay the same for centuries, the law needs to pioneer change. It is interesting that most of the changes that enhanced women's status occurred during the AKP period".
Mediz (Media Tracking group of Women): "ESI's report relates the potential for change and the legal transformation of Turkey to EU member states. As Turkey is preparing for EU membership, the report emphasizes the positive developments… It might be too early to call it a 'revolution'".
"But if the same ladies thumbed through a study of Turkish women by the Berlin-based European Stability Initiative, their notions about Islam and modernity might change. Entitled 'Sex and Power in Turkey', the paper deconstructs the myth that Ataturk was the sole champion of Turkish women."
"Two years have passed since the Islamic Calvinists report and now ESI is back with an even more thought-provoking study: 'Sex And Power In Turkey: Feminism, Islam and The Maturing of Turkish Democracy.' This new work is the outcome of 18 months of research carried out by a team of ESI analysts, who interviewed women and men from opposite extremes of Turkey, ranging from the stylish areas of Istanbul such as Kadıköy to the impoverished villages of the eastern city of Van. I think it is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand social change in Turkey and how it affects its women."
Turkish Daily News , 14 June 2007
- Volkskrant, Rob Vreeken, "Turkse vrouwen hebben het steeds beter, toch?" ("Turkish women always have it better, right?") (4 July 2015)
- Denver Post, Dan Bilefsky and Sebnem Arsu, "Turkey slipping on women's rights, groups say" (29 April 2012)
- HP/De Tijd, Bas Paternotte, "Vrouwenrechten in Turkije onder druk" ("Women's rights in Turkey under pressure") (29 April 2012)
- Jezebel, Doug Barry, "Now that It Doesn't Have to Impress the EU, Turkey Could Curtail Women's Rights" (29 April 2012)
- Hürriyet Daily News, Mustafa Akyol, "Turkish Islamists vs. Turkish women?" (10 March 2012)
- Dünya Bülteni, Aynur Erdoğan, "Erkek aklına eklemlenen feminizm" ("Feminist upgrade for the male mind") (30 April 2011)
- The Economist, Tim Judah, "On the Bosphorus: Nigar Goksel on women in Istanbul" (20 December 2008)
- The Wall Street Journal, Farnaz Fassihi, "Scarf Standoff Splits Women" (21 August 2008)
- Radikal, Ekin Kadir Selçuk, "Disi ihtilalin ikinci devri basladi mi" (8 March 2008)
- Hürriyet, Dogan Uluç, "Fatih Çekirge namus cinayetini önledi" (5 March 2008)
- Radikal, "Türban serbestisi örtünme zorunluluguna dönüsmesin" (12 February 2008)
- Radikal, Funda Özkan, "AKP 'ikinci kadin devrimini yapmis" (5 February 2008)
- CNN TURK, Mithat Bereket, TV Interview with Gerald Knaus and Nigar Göksel on feminism and Islam in Turkey (26 December 2007)
- Hürriyet, Sefa Kaplan, "Türkiye'de kadın devrimi yaşanıyor" (26 December 2007)
- ZEI EU-Turkey Monitor, Nigar Göksel, "Empowerment of Women in Turkey" (November 2007)
- Radio Multikulti, Sevim Ercan "AKP'nin kadinlara yaklaşimi değişti mi?" (16 November 2007)
- EDAM, Nigar Göksel, "Women and the changing face of Turkey" (Fall 2007)
- BBC Woman's hour, "Turkish women's groups attack draft constitution" (Interview with Gerald Knaus) (19 October 2007)
- The New York Review of Books, Christopher de Bellaigue, "Turkey at the Turning Point?" (27 September 2007)
- Zaman, Şahin Alpay, "AKP ve kadınlar" (25 September 2007)
- SaudiDebate, Mona Eltahawy, "Success of Turkey’s AK Party must not dilute worries over Arab Islamists" (4 September 2007)
- Prospect Magazine, Gerald Knaus, "Who will free Turkey's women?" (August 2007)
- The Age, James Button, "Women's fight to wear the veil will test Turkey's move toward modernisation" (30 July 2007)
- Turkish Daily News, Mustafa Akyol, "The sum of all secular fears — a sequel" (21 July 2007)
- Today's Zaman, Abdulhamıt Bılıcı, "What will the Turkish electorate say at the polls?" (21 July 2007)
- Format, Gerald Knaus, "Es steht viel auf dem Spiel an diesem Wahltag" (July 2007)
- The Age, James Button, "Old versus the new as Turkey find's its way" (21 July 2007)
- Liberazione, "Le donne turche per la prima volta protagoniste" (21 July 2007)
- El Mundo, Fatima Ruiz, "Las mujeres emprenden la revolucion turca" (21 July 2007)
- Svenska Dagbladet, Bitte Hammargren, "AKP bakom kvinnoreformer" (20 July 2007)
- The Wall Street Journal, Matthew Kaminski, "Turkish Test" (20 July 2007)
- DIE ZEIT, Michael Thumann, "Anatolien schlägt zurück" (19 July 2007)
- BBC, Sarah Rainsford, "Türk kadininin eşitlik için uzun yolu" (19 July 2007)
- BBC, Sarah Rainsford, "Women’s equality is one of the central issues in Turkey’s July 22nd elections" (18 July 2007)
- BBC, Sarah Rainsford, "Turkish women's long road to equality" (18 July 2007)
- Der Standard, Adelheid Wölfl, "Auf dem Weg ins Post-Patriarchat" (14 July 2007)
- Patronlar Dünyası, "Seçimlerde kadinin rolü" (13 July 2007)
- The Economist, "In search of the female voter" (12 July 2007)
- Bianet, "Kadınların İlerlemesi Kağıt Üzerinde Kaldı" (11 July 2007)
- Akşam, Mehveş Evin, "Türkiye'de seks ve güç" (10 July 2007)
- Akşam, "Kadın hakları en çok 2001'den sonra gelişti" (1 July 2007)
- Sabah, Soli Özel, "Cinsiyet ve iktidar" (24 June 2007)
- Dagens Nyheter, Henrik Berggren, "Gnosjö-islam" (21 June 2007)
- Falter, Katharina Knaus, "Türkische Mythen" (20 June 2007)
- Turkish Daily News, Reeta Çevik, "Gender equality given carrot and stick in ESI report" (18 June 2007)
- Today's Zaman, Sahin Alpay, "Sex and power in Turkey" (18 June 2007)
- Turkish Daily News, Mustafa Akyol, "Sex matters -II- (The tragedy of Kemalist feminism)" (16 June 2007)
- Turkish Daily News, Mustafa Akyol, "Sex matters -I- (Toward a post-patriarchal Turkey)" (14 June 2007)
- Süddeutsche Zeitung, Kai Strittmatter, "Die Frau als Besitz des Mannes" (2 June 2007)