Turkish Women Divided by Politics SECULARIST ACTIVISM VERSUS PIOUS NON-RESISTANCE BERNA TURAM Hampshire College, USA Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the early phase of its rule in Turkey (2002–4), the pro-Islamic government of the AKP (Justice and Development party) and various branches of the state collaborated in a series of political and economic reforms. The democratization process has gradually moderated and integrated Islamic actors into the secular Turkish Republic. However, it has also had polarizing effects on social groups. Among many, the polarization of two groups of women, ‘pious’ and ‘secularist’, deserves particular attention. Instead of bringing Turkish women together, gender reforms, particularly the issue of the head- scarf ban in universities, have divided women and created disarray and confrontation in society. This article reveals and compares the two dramatically different patterns of pol- itical engagement by pious and secularist women in leadership positions in contempor- ary Turkey. On the one hand, it explains the apprehension of secularist women about the increasing visibility in public spaces of pious women who veil. On the other hand, it examines how pious women, who see the tumult their religious observance in the public space is creating, are increasingly turning to a non-confrontational mode of non-response. What is the prognosis for the future of a democratic Turkey? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Keywords Turkey, secularism, Islamic politics, Kemalist women, pious women, headscarf, political polarization, activism, collective versus individual action, democracy INTRODUCTION Programs of political reform aimed at the consolidation of democracy in state institutions are often associated with broader and deeper levels of democrati- zation in everyday life and in the attitudes of ordinary citizens (see, especially, Linz and Stepan 1996). According to Linz and Stepan, the consolidation of RFJP339555 Techset Composition Ltd, Salisbury, U.K. 9/9/2008 International Feminist Journal of Politics, 10:4 December 2008, 475– 494 ISSN 1461-6742 print/ISSN 1468-4470 online # 2008 Taylor & Francis http:==www.informaworld.com DOI: 10.1080/14616740802393882 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45