Summary of Thesis by A. Karamanos
Department of Political Science and Public Administration
GREECE-TURKEY: Europeanization and Gender Equality
(comparative analysis)
Abstract
Doctoral Dissertation
The research examines and compares the impact of Europeanization on the promotion of gender equality in Greece and Turkey within a historical, political, cultural, and social context. It focuses on those historical events and influences of Europeanism that intertwine with the social and political evolution of the struggle for women’s rights. The methodological approach, that is, is both descriptive of historical phenomena and multi-causal and comparative. The theoretical framework of Europeanization extends beyond the late obligation to adopt the acquis communautaire, to include the historical impact of Europe on nation-state building and the foundation of the struggle for gender equality, by the feminist movement, based on the values of European Enlightenment, in two peripheral countries that did not participate in the Renaissance and the European Enlightenment. The study investigates historical sources, events, and data, from the 19th century to the modern era, to demonstrate the fluctuations and influences of early European orientation on the recognition and evolution of women’s rights and its contribution, if not to the eradication, to the weakening of outdated perceptions and social stereotypes of patriarchal/Balkan/Mediterranean culture. The research maintains a dynamic relationship between empirical study, comparative political analysis, and feminist political theory across all individual topics.
We argue that the feminist movement in the two countries, essentially a small vanguard of educated women, under the beneficial influence of European values, dared to confront the established patriarchy and compel the political system to recognize on one hand the value of gender equality per se, and on the other hand to proceed with reforms that ensure, with the exception of the structures of the “dominant” religions, at least the legal equality of the sexes, enhancing the institutions of participatory democracy, social justice, and economic development. We argue that women’s activism constitutes a valuable social capital, an important variable that acts as a force for change and influences the formation of politics and decision-making.
Despite the fact that the two countries have different starting points and historical relationships of conqueror and conquered, they present similarities in many areas, particularly from the mid-19th century onward, that are worth exploring: influences of the West and the ideas of the French Revolution through the Europeanized diaspora, pursuit of acquiring a European identity, geographical proximity, delayed economic and social structures, pronounced religiosity and patriarchal culture, discrimination and violence against women, centralized state, inability to establish a modern, mature democracy and the rule of law. The existence and operation of two hybrid political systems that attempt to combine and balance elements of the East with developments in ideas, human rights, gender equality, democracy, science, and modern European political and social organization are being investigated.
Following a historiographical path, the empirical data that contribute to a deeper understanding of the processes occurring in the political system of the two countries during the long struggle for the recognition of women’s rights and the convergence of societies towards a common European ideal of gender equality are described, interpreted, evaluated, and compared. Throughout the historical journey, the research is also involved in the theoretical quests and disagreements of the feminist movement and international relations, seeking to bridge “equality” with “difference” and the “hegemonic masculinity” of the orthodoxy of Realism with the “soft power” and pacifism of the feminist perspective on foreign policy. The “diplomacy” of women is also highlighted, their contribution to major national events is noted, and their courage, selflessness, and fighting spirit are emphasized, even though they themselves lack political rights or participation in decision-making, a fact that raises critical questions in political science.
The intervention in the actions of social actors by the third supranational factor, Europe, whose values and gender equality policies they wish to integrate into a national framework, allows for a comparison of the reactions of the two countries and the drawing of broader conclusions, which may enrich political science, feminist theory, the social democratic political school, as well as theories of social capital and social movements. The study concludes with testimonies and personal accounts from significant public figures in both countries, along with a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences and the general conclusions that arise from the research.