Gender and Identity Construction. Women of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey

This volume contains articles on the experiences and positions of women in a region where the states have taken major initiatives in shaping women's roles and status. Contemporary issues and problems of gender identity and economic change provide a basis for comparative discussion.

This volume deals with issues and problems of national and gender identity in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey. Articles discuss experiences and position of women vis-à-vis state intervention, economic, political and cultural change, in both public and private spheres of life.
In the book the real life conditions and experiences of women are analyzed on three complementary levels. The first of these is the economic and institutional circumstances shaped by structural adjustment policies, globalization and transnational policies. The second is realities of everyday life, particularly pertaining to family, religion, tradition and education. The third level is that of politics and ideology where national and nationalist discourses often build on the gender identity shaped by the economic and social levels.
The book does not only present a cross cultural analysis of women's position in the region but also reflects the varied perspectives of female scholars from many different countries and disciplines.

Readership: Research Centers and graduate and undergraduate programmes on area studies (Central Asia, Caucasus, Islamic countries, etc.). Gender and Women's Studies Centers, academic libraries, international organizations (UN, UNESCO, EU, etc.).


Feride Acar is Professor of Political Sociology and Chair of Gender and Women's Studies in Middle East Technical University. She has received her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College, USA. She has published and co-edited books and numerous articles on women in education; women's human rights and women and Islam.

Ayşe Güneş-Ayata is Professor of Political Science in Middle East Technical University and Chair of the Center for Black Sea and Central Asia. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Kent, UK. Besides her books, she has published articles on political parties, identity politics, gender issues and urbanization.