Nation-Building and State Feminism: A Comparative Analysis of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s Türkiye and Habib Bourguiba’s Tunisia

Abstract

Adopting a comparative perspective, this article examines how state feminism was embedded in the projects of nation-building, secularization, and modernization in Atatürk’s Turkey and Bourguiba’s Tunisia. The comparison rests not only on the two projects’ similar modernization objectives in the Islamic world but also on Bourguiba’s presentation of Atatürk’s national liberation struggle and reform project as an important reference point for his own independence struggle and reform agenda. Drawing on a critical reading of existing scholarship and primary sources, it examines family law and civil status, education, and reproductive governance to problematize state feminism’s limits and possibilities in both contexts. What emerges from this comparison is that, despite their distinct historical, social, and geopolitical contexts, both Atatürk and Bourguiba expanded women’s rights in line with their visions of building modern, secular nation-states. However, while Atatürk’s women’s reforms were grounded in secular civil law and presented as part of the Kemalist project to align Türkiye with the modern world, Bourguiba legitimized his reforms through a reformist interpretation of Islam and retained certain Islamic provisions, particularly in inheritance. While state feminism in both countries established women’s legal equality across multiple spheres, expanded access to education and professional life, and encouraged women’s participation in the public sphere, it also subordinated women’s individual autonomy to national priorities. Women’s emancipation, therefore, remained contingent upon its alignment with the nation-building imperatives. This study contributes to the growing scholarship on the relationship between state feminism, nation-building, and authoritarian modernization by centering a comparison that has often remained on the margins of the existing literature.

Keywords

• State Feminism
• Nation-Building
• Modernization
• Women’s Rights
• Atatürk
• Bourguiba
• Türkiye
• Tunisia.

Ethical Statement

In this research article, ethics committee permission was not required as the data were not obtained using survey or interview techniques.

Ulus İnşası ve Devlet Feminizmi: Atatürk Türkiyesi ve Burgiba Tunusu Üzerine Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analiz

Abstract

Bu makale, karşılaştırmalı bir çerçeve benimseyerek, devlet feminizminin Atatürk Türkiye’sinde ve Burgiba Tunus’unda ulus inşası, laikleşme ve modernleşme projeleri içinde nasıl konumlandırıldığını incelemektedir. Bu karşılaştırmanın yöntemsel dayanağını, iki reform projesinin İslam dünyasında benzer modernleşme hedeflerine yönelmiş olmasının yanı sıra, Burgiba’nın Atatürk’ün kurtuluş mücadelesini ve reform projesini kendi bağımsızlık mücadelesi ve reform gündemi açısından önemli bir referans noktası olarak sunması oluşturmaktadır. Mevcut literatürün eleştirel bir okumasına ve birincil kaynaklara dayanan makale, aile hukuku ve medeni kanun, eğitim alanlarındaki reformlar ve üreme politikalarını ele alarak her iki bağlamda da devlet feminizminin sınırlılıklarını ve olanaklarını tartışmaya açmaktadır. Bu karşılaştırmadan ortaya çıkan bulgular, birbirinden farklı tarihsel, toplumsal ve jeopolitik bağlamlara karşın hem Atatürk’ün hem de Burgiba’nın kadın haklarını modern, laik bir ulus-devlet inşa etme vizyonları doğrultusunda genişletmiş olduklarını göstermektedir. Ancak Atatürk dönemindeki kadın reformları laik medeni hukuka ve daha geniş bir çağdaş uygarlık idealine dayanırken, Burgiba kendi reformlarını İslam’ın reformist bir yorumu üzerinden meşrulaştırmış ve özellikle miras alanındaki İslami hükümleri korumuştur. Her iki ülkede devlet feminizmi kadınların hukuki eşitliğini birçok alanda tesis etmiş, eğitime ve mesleki yaşama erişimlerini genişletmiş ve kadınların kamusal alana katılımını teşvik etmiş olsa da, kadınların bireysel özerkliğini ulusal önceliklere tabi tutmuştur. Bu nedenle kadın özgürleşmesi, ancak ulusal çıkarlarla örtüştüğü ölçüde mümkün olmuştur. Bu çalışma, mevcut literatürün çeperinde kalmış bir karşılaştırmayı merkeze alarak devlet feminizmi, ulus inşası ve otoriter modernleşme arasındaki ilişkiye dair büyüyen literatüre özgün bir katkı sunmaktadır.

Keywords

• Devlet Feminizmi
• Ulus İnşası
• Modernleşme
• Kadın Hakları
• Atatürk
• Burgiba
• Türkiye
• Tunus.

Ethical Statement

Bu araştırma makalesinin verileri anket veya mülakat teknikleri kullanılarak elde edilmediğinden etik kurul izni gerekmemiştir.

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