"Turkish women's interpretation of the international world in the 1970s: The case of Kadinlarin Sesi journal"

The second-wave of feminist movement which emerged around 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, refers to an active period shaped around the intellectual development of women who have access to universities, their criticism of the changing socio-political systems and demands for gender equality and anti- discrimination as well as their insistence on solidarity among women. Despite the fact that the center of second wave feminism is often placed in the West, the issues addressed within the movement gradually spread all over the world, Turkey is no exception in this regard. This thesis examines how women of Turkey in 1970s engaged in various issues discussed by their sisters in the other countries ranging from domestic violence to marital rape, reproductive rights to official legal inequalities by focusing on Kadınların Sesi (Women's Voice) newspaper, published by the İlerici Kadınlar Derneği (the Progressive Women's Association). However, the main purpose of the study is to reveal how these women organized under the rubric of the Progressive Women's Association perceived the international system and how they interpreted what is happening in the world as well as how they positioned themselves within the international system of the period. In this regard, the study consists of the analysis of international news found in the Women's Voice which was published by the Progressive Women's Association from August 1975 to August 1980. During this period, international system was dominated by the Cold War blocks. Hence while analyzing the international news, an attempt is made how the Women's Voice conceived different blocks and represented the lives of women living within these blocks. Keywords: Progressive Women's Association, Women's Voice Journal, Second Wave Feminism, Marxist Feminism, Cold War Period