The struggle for women’s rights in Turkey: pioneering suffragettes and republicanism

Abstract

This chapter focuses on feminist republicanism in the formative years of the Turkish Republic by comparing two prominent intellectuals and activists, Halide Edip (1883–1964) and Nezihe Muhiddin (1889–1958), who played an essential role in shaping the notion of republican citizenship and pioneered the first wave republican feminist movement, which resulted in the granting of full political rights to women, including the right to elect and be elected locally (1930) and nationwide (1934) in Turkey. In their numerous articles, books, novels, and speeches, both intellectuals stressed that women must be educated, liberated from men’s domination in the household, and able to enjoy their political and economic independence to be good and virtuous mothers and citizens. This virtue was an integral part of citizenship in a free republic where all citizens, regardless of their gender, must participate in making just laws and in open and inclusive public debate. © Oxford University Press 2026. All rights reserved.