Women of ’68 and Their Experiences of Bargaining With Patriarchy

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to elaborate on the narratives of women who were in leading positions in the ’68 student movement in Turkey and to grasp their experiences and strategies of bargaining with patriarchy. The analysis is based on six selected in-depth interviews I conducted in 2004 with prominent women figures of the movement. By using the theoretical framework offered by the works of Deniz Kandiyoti and Ayşe Durakbaşa, I make a comparison between the women of ’68 and the previous generation, namely the “daughters of the Republic”, in terms of their values, norms and relational patterns. Furthermore, I exhibit the continuities and discontinuities in strategies of bargaining with patriarchy between these two generations of women. Finally, I evaluate the change they triggered in the construction of womanhood and their impact on the next generations of women.