Kürt kadınlarının yerel siyasete katılımı: Nusaybin örneği

This thesis focuses on the political participation of Kurdish women in Nusaybin. Based both on an analysis of programs and statutes of pro-Kurdish political parties, and in-depth interviews conducted in Nusaybin with politically active women, this thesis claims that the political mobilization of Kurdish women cannot be solely explained by the new opportunities provided by the Kurdish political movement since this leaves women, who do not join the movement, out of our sight. Instead, this study argues that, along with the Kurdish movement's gender policies, women's very own struggle is essential in explaining Kurdish women's participation in local politics. Furthermore, this thesis attempts to reveal the impact of ideology and the Kurdish movement's gender policy on women's political participation within a dialogue with the social movements, new social movements, and cultural opportunity structure literatures. The analysis of the interviews is structured so that they reflect women's experiences in politics and the relationships these women establish with various actors in Nusaybin's political arena such as politically active men, the state, and the municipality. Although individual stories of women reflect a change in gender roles brought by their engagement with politics, a significant transformation of gender roles in Nusaybin seems still far from sight.