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The Absence & Presence of the ‘Veil’ and National Ideologies of Turkey

By Cigdem Bugdayci.

Published by The International Journal of the Humanities

The ‘veil’, in both its literal meaning as well as its metaphorical usage, is useful in elucidating the ideological distinctions between women in Turkey. In Turkey, the ‘veil’ has been generally referred to as the ‘politicization of the headscarf’ ever since the 1980s. This ‘secularist’ approach interprets the widespread usage of the headscarf as a purely political performative act rather than a religious one. However, I argue that both the presence and absence of the ‘veil’ have, in the 20th century, indicated certain ideological elements in Turkish society and politics. The ‘veil’ has been a tool to explain the relation between the ‘modern’ woman and Turkish secularism, modernity and Islam. Therefore, the political dimension of the ‘veil’ writes and marks female bodies with a transparent ideology by employing the ‘veil’ as a potent symbol either in its absence (physical transparency) or presence (physical coverage).

International Journal of the Humanities, Volume 6, Issue 6, pp.159-164. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 523.796KB).

Cigdem Bugdayci

PhD Candidate, Religious Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands