Gendered dimensions of ontological (in)security: Women’s selective exclusion in the New Turkey narrative under the JDP government

Abstract

Existing literature underscores that gendered narratives legitimize political discourse by invoking imaginary pasts, collective traumas, or ideologies like religion and nationalism. These narratives, shaped by the ontological insecurities of political actors, contribute to an anti-gender climate and a hypermasculinized political sphere. However, their impact on women’s ontological (in)securities remains underexplored. This paper explores the gendered nature of the New Turkey narrative and its impact on women’s insecurities, using Turkey as a case study. It focuses on individual women’s experiences, particularly through the perspectives of women’s NGOs. A historical-discursive analysis of media statements from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP), along with interviews with women activists, reveals that the JDP narrative stigmatizes gender equality as a Western construct. This approach generates insecurities for “conservative ideal women” while demonizing “other women” excluded from the narrative. The findings highlight a tension between state-level insecurities and women’s ontological insecurities, as the JDP emphasizes a civilizational discourse rooted in collective memory and nostalgia, while women’s insecurities center on political polarization, legislative shifts, and the erosion of gender equality principles.