Women, Religion, and the State in Contemporary Turkey

A fascinating ethnography of the Diyanet's women sessions in Istanbul illuminating the current reconfigurations of Islam in Turkey.

Chiara Maritato (Author)

9781108812504, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 September 2022

331 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.5 kg

'This is a must-read work on religion, religiosity, society, and the state in contemporary Turkey. Maritato (Univ. of Turin, Italy) provides unique insight into these complex dynamics through in-depth interviews and observations. Highly recommended.' B. A. Yesilada, Choice

Tracing the centrality of women in the definition of Turkish secularism, this study investigates the 2003 decision to increase the number of women officers employed by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). It explores how, as professional religious officers, the female Diyanet preachers epitomize a pious, modern and highly educated woman whose role in society has been raised to prominence. Based on extensive fieldwork in Turkey, and drawing on a rich ethnography of the activities conducted by Diyanet women preachers in Istanbul, Chiara Maritato disentangles the state's attempt to standardize a multifaceted female religious participation. In using the feminization of the Diyanet as a prism through which to understand the significance of a renewed presence of Islam in the Turkish public realm, she casts light on a broader reformulation of religious services for women and families in Turkey, and pinpoints how this pervasive moral support has been able to penetrate and reshape even secular spaces.

1. Introduction
Part I. Transitivities: Women, Religion and Turkish Secularism: 2. Religion, a state affair
3. Pious women and the secular state
Part II. Women in the Diyanet: Forms and Meanings: 4. The Diyanet's policies towards women
5. Vaizeler's invitation: the mosque as a place for women
6. Achieving public piety through the Vaizeler's sessions
7. Religious counselling and moral support for women and families
Part III. Reassessing Women, Religion and the State: 8. Listen to the battlefield: female preachers within a secular state
9. Concluding remarks.

Subject Areas: Middle Eastern history [HBJF1], Asian history [HBJF], General & world history [HBG], History [HB], Humanities [H]