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Constructing the "Mother Citizens" of the Ottoman Empire: Education, Nationalism and Gender in the Young Turk Era (1909-1918)
Abstract
This paper analyzes the education of Ottoman girls during the Second Constitutional Era, and examines the "ideal female citizen" model, which is described in the primary and secondary school textbooks. For this purpose, I analyze twenty-four textbooks that were printed between 1909-1918, together with the official school curricula and laws and regulations regarding educational policies. The aim of the Young Turk Revolution was to realize "Ottomanism", which united all ethnic and religious communities in the Empire under a common civic identity. The Second Constitution vitalized discussions of citizenship, and a number of social, institutional and political reforms were initiated to this end. The education system was also transformed according to the principle of Ottomanism. In order to secure the future of the Constitutional regime, the political elite targeted to inculcate the new generations with the revolutionary ideals of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Justice". Therefore, citizenship education gained importance and a vast number of schoolbooks were printed. On the other hand, Balkan Wars and the political turmoil in their aftermath had considerable social and political effects. Due to wars, drastic territorial losses, and waves of migrations that shifted the ethnic composition towards the Turkish demographic majority, Turkish nationalism became the dominant political doctrine, surpassing Ottomanism. This ideological shift was reflected in the education system, as well. Ottoman intellectuals explained the success of the Balkan peoples in wars with the nationalist education they received in their schools, and proposed to adopt similar pedagogical policies in citizenship education. In my paper, I argue that the traditional concepts of motherhood and womanhood were re-defined in this nationalist atmosphere, and female citizens were given the duty of constructing the nationalist generations of the future. The textbooks printed for school girls during this period describe the virtues of an ideal "mother citizen", and focus on the role of women in the development of the whole society. Issues like marriage, divorce, abortion, suicide, child rearing, hygiene, basic tips of husband selection, fashion and luxury were discussed; and girls were inculcated with a sense of responsibility for their homeland. These textbooks emphasize the importance of creating nationalist, healthy generations, and argue that Ottoman women can become good citizens by raising children who are useful for their homeland. Textbooks are crucial in analyzing the state's attitude towards women's education and emancipation, as well as the changes in the "ideal female citizen" model that the ruling elite aimed to create.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Ottoman Empire
Sub Area
None