Bloomsbury Politics of the Female Body in Contemporary Turkey, The: Reproduction, Maternity, Sexuality (Gender and Islam)

Under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey came new regulations about reproductive rights, family and gender policies. Womens central role in reproductive and domestic work was swiftly reaffirmed as a state value and policies surrounding issues such as abortion and IVF were newly debated. Taking Turkey as the case study, this is the first book to examine the various ways in which neoliberal modes of governing womens bodies come together with conservative and authoritarian measures. The book is divided into three parts - the reproductive body, the maternal body and the sexualized body - to explore the three main governmental representations of, and interventions into, the female body. Topics for discussion include: the increasing control of poor or ethnic minority womens fertility, the expansion of IVF and egg markets, the commodification of pregnancy and motherhood through surrogacy, and the privatization of gynaecological and obstetrical care. The contributors argue that conservative and authoritarian forms of government lead to a direct assault on womens bodies, health and sexuality by legitimizing corporeal control, sexual violence and patriarchal conceptions of religious morality. While focusing on the Turkish case, the editors also propose analytical tools for a broader understanding of the recent changes in the politics of the female body in various contexts such as Eastern Europe, Latin America and the United States. Review Gender has always been at the center of nation-making in several contexts, including the Middle East. The chapters in this edited volume describes, in detail, how the recent political turn in Turkey cannot be understood without a thorough feminist critique of everyday politics.This book contains an outstanding ethnographic material and a brilliant analysis of the transformations Erdogan's rule has produced in women's material and moral lives. Focusing on neoliberal economic reforms, neoconservative state policies and religious revival, the volume's contributors explore their effects on women's reproductive and sexual practices. Inspired by a feminist critical engagement, the twelve chapters provide the reader with a multidimensional view of the authoritarian and often misogynist evolution of Turkish society in the early 21th century in light of women's reproductive, maternal and sexual bodies. Last but not least, this book offers an extensive insight into transnational socio-political dynamics that affect several countries of the MENA region stimulating the dialogue with scholars working in this area.This ground-breaking volume, replete with rich ethnography and cutting-edge theory, provides the single best analysis of women's reproductive lives under an increasingly authoritarian, neoconservative Middle Eastern regime. The authors document multiple forms of reproductive surveillance, discrimination, and violence against women in Turkey, while also highlighting women's pragmatism, creative use of technology, and feminist struggle. A must-read for Middle East gender studies scholars, medical anthropologists and sociologists of reproduction, and all those advocating for reproductive justice. About the Author Hilal Alkan is Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung's Georg Forster fellow at Alice Salomon Hochschule and the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient Berlin, Germany. She received her PhD in Political Science from the Open University. Ayse Dayi is an Academy in Exile Fellow at the Freie University in Berlin, Germany.She received her Ph.D. in Human Development & Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. Sezin Topcu is a historian and sociologist of science, technology and medicine. She received her PhD at Paris School of Advanced Studies for the Social Sciences (Ehess), France. Betul Yarar is a Phillip Schwartz Fellow at the University of Bremen, Germany. She received her Ph.D. in sociology at Lancaster University, UK.