This collection of 18 articles shows how conceptions of the political are expanded and revised when viewed through the lens of gender. Organized to serve both scholars and students across the social sciences, this book re-examines such basic notions as citizenship, collectivity, political resistance and the state. Section One, "Gender, Citizenship, and Collectivity" includes: Nancy Frazer and Linda Gordon's critique of dependence and citizenship; Iris Young on women as a social collective; Ruth Bloch on the feminization of public virtue in revolutionary America; Trisha Franzen on feminism and lesbian community; and Sonia Kruks on de Beauvoir and feminism. "Collective Action and Women's Resistance", Section Two, features: Louise Tilly's "Paths of Proletarianization"; Temma Kaplan's "Female Consciousness and Collective Action"; and five assessments of women's collective action worldwide - Samira Haj on Palestine, Arlene McLeod on Egypt, Gay Seidman on South Africa, Nancy Sternbach et al on Latin America and Anne Walthall on Japan.A section on gender and the state features: Bronwyn Winter on the law and cultural relativism; Sherene Razack on sexual violence; Wendy Luttrell on educational institutions; Patricia Stamp on ethnic conflict; Elizabeth Schmidt on patriarchy and capitalism; and Muriel Nazzari on post-revolutionary Cuba. These essays originally appeared in "Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society", edited by Ruth-Ellen Boetcher Joeres and Barbara Laslett.

Since the 1980 military coup in Turkey, much of the history and politics of the country can be described as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. In this accessible account of the country''s politics, society and economics, the authors delve into the causes and processes of what has been called a democratic ''backsliding''. In order to explore this, Yeşim Arat and Şevket Pamuk, two of Turkey''s leading social scientists, focus on the mutual distrust between the secular and Islamist groups. They argue that the attempts by a secular coalition to circumscribe the Islamists in power had a boomerang effect. The Islamists struck back first in self-defence, then in pursuit of authoritarian power. With chapters on urbanization, Kurdish nationalism, women''s movements, economic development and foreign relations, this book offers a comprehensive and lively examination of contemporary Turkey and its role on the global stage.

Since the 1980 military coup in Turkey, much of the history and politics of the country can be described as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. In this accessible account of the country''s politics, society and economics, the authors delve into the causes and processes of what has been called a democratic ''backsliding''. In order to explore this, Yeşim Arat and Şevket Pamuk, two of Turkey''s leading social scientists, focus on the mutual distrust between the secular and Islamist groups. They argue that the attempts by a secular coalition to circumscribe the Islamists in power had a boomerang effect. The Islamists struck back first in self-defence, then in pursuit of authoritarian power. With chapters on urbanization, Kurdish nationalism, women''s movements, economic development and foreign relations, this book offers a comprehensive and lively examination of contemporary Turkey and its role on the global stage.

Examines the experiences of women activists of the Islamist Refah (Welfare) party in Turkey.In Turkey, no secular party has approximated the high levels of membership and intense activism of women within the Islamist Refah (Welfare) Party. Rethinking Islam and Liberal Democracy examines the experiences of these women, who represented an unprecedented phenomenon within Turkish politics. Using in-depth interviews, Yeşim Arat reveals how the women of the party broadened the parameters of democratic participation and challenged preconceived notions of what Islam can entail in a secular democratic polity. The women of the party successfully mobilized large groups of allegedly apolitical women by crossing the boundaries between the social and the political, reaching them through personal networks cultivated in private spaces. The experiences of these women show the contentious relationship between liberal democracy and Islam, where liberalism that prioritizes the individual can transform, coexist, or remain in tension with Islam that prioritizes a communal identity legitimized by a sacred God.

This collection of 18 articles shows how conceptions of the political are expanded and revised when viewed through the lens of gender. Organized to serve both scholars and students across the social sciences, this book re-examines such basic notions as citizenship, collectivity, political resistance and the state. Section One, "Gender, Citizenship, and Collectivity" includes: Nancy Frazer and Linda Gordon's critique of dependence and citizenship; Iris Young on women as a social collective; Ruth Bloch on the feminization of public virtue in revolutionary America; Trisha Franzen on feminism and lesbian community; and Sonia Kruks on de Beauvoir and feminism. "Collective Action and Women's Resistance", Section Two, features: Louise Tilly's "Paths of Proletarianization"; Temma Kaplan's "Female Consciousness and Collective Action"; and five assessments of women's collective action worldwide - Samira Haj on Palestine, Arlene McLeod on Egypt, Gay Seidman on South Africa, Nancy Sternbach et al on Latin America and Anne Walthall on Japan.A section on gender and the state features: Bronwyn Winter on the law and cultural relativism; Sherene Razack on sexual violence; Wendy Luttrell on educational institutions; Patricia Stamp on ethnic conflict; Elizabeth Schmidt on patriarchy and capitalism; and Muriel Nazzari on post-revolutionary Cuba. These essays originally appeared in "Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society", edited by Ruth-Ellen Boetcher Joeres and Barbara Laslett.

Since the 1980 military coup in Turkey, much of the history and politics of the country can be described as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. In this accessible account of the country''s politics, society and economics, the authors delve into the causes and processes of what has been called a democratic ''backsliding''. In order to explore this, Yeşim Arat and Şevket Pamuk, two of Turkey''s leading social scientists, focus on the mutual distrust between the secular and Islamist groups. They argue that the attempts by a secular coalition to circumscribe the Islamists in power had a boomerang effect. The Islamists struck back first in self-defence, then in pursuit of authoritarian power. With chapters on urbanization, Kurdish nationalism, women''s movements, economic development and foreign relations, this book offers a comprehensive and lively examination of contemporary Turkey and its role on the global stage.

Since the 1980 military coup in Turkey, much of the history and politics of the country can be described as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. In this accessible account of the country''s politics, society and economics, the authors delve into the causes and processes of what has been called a democratic ''backsliding''. In order to explore this, Yeşim Arat and Şevket Pamuk, two of Turkey''s leading social scientists, focus on the mutual distrust between the secular and Islamist groups. They argue that the attempts by a secular coalition to circumscribe the Islamists in power had a boomerang effect. The Islamists struck back first in self-defence, then in pursuit of authoritarian power. With chapters on urbanization, Kurdish nationalism, women''s movements, economic development and foreign relations, this book offers a comprehensive and lively examination of contemporary Turkey and its role on the global stage.

Examines the experiences of women activists of the Islamist Refah (Welfare) party in Turkey.In Turkey, no secular party has approximated the high levels of membership and intense activism of women within the Islamist Refah (Welfare) Party. Rethinking Islam and Liberal Democracy examines the experiences of these women, who represented an unprecedented phenomenon within Turkish politics. Using in-depth interviews, Yeşim Arat reveals how the women of the party broadened the parameters of democratic participation and challenged preconceived notions of what Islam can entail in a secular democratic polity. The women of the party successfully mobilized large groups of allegedly apolitical women by crossing the boundaries between the social and the political, reaching them through personal networks cultivated in private spaces. The experiences of these women show the contentious relationship between liberal democracy and Islam, where liberalism that prioritizes the individual can transform, coexist, or remain in tension with Islam that prioritizes a communal identity legitimized by a sacred God.