Small
Peace Research GrantsSMALL PEACE RESEARCH GRANTS
GRANT AWARDEE: AYŞE BETÜL ÇELİK (Turkey)
IMAGINING PEACE: PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ON THE KURDISH QUESTION IN TURKEY
Abstract:
While women are commonly engaged in civic activism for peace in various places around the world and in Turkey, they are seriously under-represented in formal politics. Moreover, it is not clear when elected, whether women, as political elites, make a difference in their imaginations of peace. This study aims to study whether their presence in formal politics in the form of parliamentary representation bears the potential for a more peaceful Turkish society by understanding women politicians’[1] perceptions about peace and conflict pertaining to the Kurdish Question in Turkey. It tries to understand what accounts for the differences among women in their imagined future for Turkey. It also studies whether women politicians have a broader agenda of fighting against all forms of violence and whether and how this affects their imaginations. Employing a semi-structured in-depth interviewing methodology and secondary data analysis, the research aims to find out the differences and similarities among female representatives in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), which can potentially point out possible collaboration areas among women who dream for a more peaceful country.
Methodology:
Research measuring the effect of women’s role in policy-making usually
takes women representatives or leaders as their units of analysis (Arat 1989;
Cowell-Meyers 2001; Çakır 2005). This study will employ the same methodology. In
the June 2011, 78 women were elected for parliament. I am hoping to reach as
many female MPs as possible from all political parties with the help of
snowballing sample methodology and through visits to the Turkish Grand National
Assembly.
To answer the questions posed in the research,
I will conduct in-depth semi-structured interviews with women politicians and
as a control group with around 8-10 male M.Ps from the Eastern and Southeastern
Anatolia. The aim of the interviews will be to understand their individual
backgrounds, the reasons behind why they chose to become politicians, what they
aim for in politics, how they perceive peace and conflict at various levels
(individual, domestic and national), what mechanisms they utilize to reach their
goals and how these affect and get affected by their gender roles.
Besides these
primary data, I am thinking of utilizing the below secondary resources:
Records of the national assembly: These records
will be used to check the consistency of what the MPs said in interviews and
what they say in political discourses. They can also provide me with clues on
what kinds of political issues they prioritize in their political agendas.
Newspapers: I will also follow the several newspapers from different ideological perspectives to see whether these women change their discourses when addressing media and their constituents.
Time Table:
July 2011- August 2011: Literature Review, Preparation of Interview
Template and Making Contacts with MPs
September- October 2011: Interviews in Ankara
October
2011-January 2012: Interviews in Ankara and Istanbul
January
2011- February 2011: Interviews in other parts of Turkey (if necessary)*
March
2011- May 2011: Analysis of Interviews
June-July
2011: Report Writing Stage
*
Because MPs are usually very busy, I might need to catch them while they are
visiting other parts of Turkey, especially in the cities where they are elected
from.