The Possibility of Deliberation and Political Friendship between Feminist and Islamist Women in Turkey

The paper dwells on the possibility of developing political friendship and a common course of action between feminist and Islamist women in Turkey regarding issues they seem to agree to be of common concern to women, such as ending violence against women and advancing women’s opportunities in the public sphere. The recent revival of the debate on gender equality versus gender justice in Turkey has raised concerns about this possibility given the widening gap between women’s understandings of what constitutes oppression. The conservative proponents of gender justice adhere to the traditional gendered division of labor in the private and public spheres, while feminists seek to transform gender relations in both spheres to advance gender equality. To assess the possibility of political friendship, one needs to look back to see whether and when, and regarding which issues deliberation, political solidarity and collective action has been possible between various women’s movements in Turkey. The paper discusses the extent to which political decisions regarding women’s lives are taken with the normative principles of deliberative democracy in mind, such as fairness, reciprocity and inclusion of all affected parties to debate, and reception to input from women movements. The paper will assess the possibility of deliberation, persuasion and agreement on political decisions concerning women’s lives by evaluating debates taking place on the formal, political sphere of deliberation and the informal / public sphere of deliberation, including social movements and the media.