Sociology Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-21-2025
Abstract
The recent trends in the social construction of “good mothering” through “naturalism” have become remarkably definitive in Turkey in the last decade. This study presents data from in-depth interviews with naturalist mothers in Istanbul demonstrating four operative mechanisms in their narratives with regard to their conception of gender. Practices of naturalist motherhood depart from systemic criticism and opposition to the ongoing neoliberal conservatization process in Turkey. However, at the same time, they are congruent with the normalization of a patriarchal gender order in this context. I propose that addressing this controversy is contingent on problematizing the focus on choice and empowerment popularized by a neoliberal reconception of feminine subjectivity. Based on this evidence, I argue that there is a need to reformulate the conventional conceptions in the scholarly conversation around motherhood in accordance with a critique of the neoliberal reconception of femininity.
Recommended Citation
Tanir, Canan. "Naturalizing Motherhood: Neoliberal Femininity and the Re-Traditionalization of Gender in Turkey." Journal of Middle East Women's Studies (2025): 11826186. https://doi.org/10.1215/15525864-11826186
Publication Title
Journal of Middle East Women's Studies
DOI
10.1215/15525864-11826186
Comments
Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1215/15525864-11826186