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Newsletter 33: News from Turkey

Since this is the first news from Turkey. Since formation of the Women's History group is not yet officially established, I will present what is going on in the 1990s and these very months!

The institution I am working in is called "Directorate General on the Status and Problems of Women" (DGSPW). However, in this building there is an office of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and I work as a part of UNDP staff. This makes the whole thing a joint effort of the government and the UNDP in order to cooperate with other government offices, NGOs and a wealth of grassroots group. The term "gender mainstreaming" became popular in Turkey only after 1980s.Turkish government signed the CEDAW in 1985. It was a significant sign that confirms the government's need of a systematical taking into account of the roles and links between men and women.

When it comes to the Research on the History of Women, I can mention the inspiration sources and centers for such attempts. Istanbul University Women's Research and Education Center(1989) was established first. Middle East Technical University's Gender and Women's Studies Graduate Program was established in 1994. (I am enrolled in this program and now writing my thesis on the two Turkish women's memoirs in the early 20th century). Ankara University's Women's Studies Center was established in 1993. These leading women centers assisted and motivated the other women centers nation-wide. The first and only women's library and information center in Turkey, as well as these ventures, is now having some serious funding problems:

Women's Library and Information Centre Foundation)
Fener Mahallesi, Fener Vapur Iskelesi Karsisi, Fener-Haliç
34220, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: +90 212 534 9550
Fax: +90 212 523 7408
It was established in 1990. Its purpose is to collect, preserve and present women's history and present situation. Its main visitors are researchers, women's organizations and activists and the media. The library and information center is run by 5 staff members and several volunteers. The periodicals section consists of about 40 complete sets of Ottoman periodicals on topics relating to women, published between 1867 and 1928. Languages: Turkish, English, French, German.

Under the National Programme for the Enhancement of Women's Integration in Development 17 research projects have been supported between the years 1993-2000. Among them I chose the one which can be interesting for this newsletter: "Women's Oral History": It is implemented by Foundation of the Women's Library and Information Center. It aimed at identifying methodologies for better understanding the history of women living in Turkey and training researchers in oral history. Interviews held with 18 women born before 1923 constitute important documents for women's history in Turkey. Another project -again by the same women's foundation- is called "Monitoring and Archiving Reports on Women in the Media". The project studied through systematic survey of a multiplicity of press and TV media organs, the impact of the changing political environment following the 27th March 1994 elections on the lives of women.

"There are Women..." is a documentary film on the transformation experienced by Turkish women beginning with the Tanzimat Period(1839) was prepared by Ceren Tanitim Inc. The film supported by the project was shown at the 4th. World Conference on Women in Beijing and was realized to be a comprehensive visual material on the history of women in Turkey.

Another important women web site and foundation is called Flying Broom. You might want to take a look at the site and the 5th Women's Film Festival they organize: http://www.ucansupurge.org since I run out of space here to talk about their activities. You should click to English version which is at the very bottom part of the main page.

I wish you productive/creative days until next time. As we say in Turkish before any farewell:
Stay with laughter!
-compiled by Ozlem Ezer