Ideology, Progress, and Dialogue

Abstract

Using documentary analysis and in-depth interviews, this article compares how prosecular feminist and Islamist women’s groups in Turkey approach the issues of head covering and work. The comparison reveals that Islamist women either selectively appropriate feminist views or contest them by using feminist arguments against feminists. However, this in itself does not expin why feminist and reformist Islamist women who share surprisingly similar complaints and contentions are still unable to develop a meaningful dialogue. Findings reveal that the notion of progress, ideologically directed solutions, competition over public and private spheres, divided social spaces, and most important, the universalization of feminist and Islamist ideologies thwart the development of dialogue between the two groups.