Vortrag im Rahmen von „Geschichte am Mittwoch“
Zeit: 22.11.2017, 18.30–20.00 Uhr
Ort: Institut für Geschichte, Universität Wien, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Wien, Hörsaal 45

• Moderation: Christa Hämmerle

Turkey is an outstanding case among Middle Eastern Muslim societies, having had a history of Westernization and modernization for more than 200 years and having laicism as one of the main pillars of the Turkish Republic, founded in 1923. The type of secularism in Turkey and its authoritarian character, especially in the early Kemalist Republican era, has been a topic of discussion and debate in the political sphere more openly, starting from the introduction of a multi-party democratic system into Turkish politics in 1945. The criticisms about the authoritarian character of the Kemalist regime and its control over the state, the civil society and religious communities have hegemonized not only the political but also the intellectual, academic discourses more so in the last 30 years with the neo-liberalization of the regime, carried on as a project from Turgut Ozal’s policies in the midst of 1980s to the 15 years of rule of the Justice and Development Party, which is currently in power.
In this presentation, Ayse Durakbasa reviews the basic features of the type of secularism in Turkey and the functions given to the Directorate of Religious Affairs (founded in 1924) during the early Republic as an important institution to build the Kemalist regime and its official ideology. At present, the same institution has become enlarged with staff and more resources to strengthen the powers of the ruling Islamicist Party. Ayse Durakbasa wants to evaluate this process in order to develop a critical viewpoint by giving a historical review of the secularization paradigm put into use in Turkey during the early Republic.
Zur Vortragenden: Ayse Durakbasa has a B.A degree in Sociology, Bosphorus University, ?stanbul, 1983, a M.A degree in Sociology, Bosphorus University, Istanbul, 1987, and a PhD degree in Sociology, University of Essex, UK, 1993. Title of the Doctorate Thesis: “Reappraisal of Halide Edib for a Critique of Turkish Modernization”, Advisor: Leonore Davidoff, University of Essex, 1988–1993.
Academic Position: Worked as a Professor in General Sociology and Methodology at Marmara University, Istanbul, from 2009 to December 2016, when she had to ask for retirement and got retired.
Area of Specialization: Sociology of Gender, Feminist Theory and Methodology, Women’s Studies, Social Stratification (Social Inequality), Citizenship, Social History.
Publications: The doctorate thesis on Halide Edib was published in Turkish and had 7 editions. Other than the edited books in Turkish, one on Citizenship and Globalization and the other one on Oral History and articles in Turkish, she has published articles and contributed to a number of books published in English, mostly about Turkish modernization and gender issues.
Currently she is Käthe-Leichter-Guest-Professor, giving three courses in the History Department, Vienna University.