State and civil society relation in Türkiye: The case of women CSOs

Date

2025-5

Author

Yücel, Tuna

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

283
views

0
downloads

Cite This

This thesis examines the role of women’s civil society organizations (CSOs) in Türkiye within the context of legal constraints, political challenges and advocacy strategies. Using a qualitative approach, the research incorporates case studies and feminist theoretical frameworks to analyze how women’s CSOs engage with the state and broader governance structures. The central research question guiding this thesis is: How do women’s CSOs in Türkiye navigate political, legal and institutional constraints to sustain their advocacy efforts and influence policy? The thesis identifies four key themes: the contested definitions of civil society, state-CSO relations, the effectiveness of women’s CSOs in restrictive political environments and the impact of globalization on feminist activism. Findings reveal that while Türkiye’s semi-authoritarian political climate imposes significant restrictions on women’s advocacy organizations—through legal barriers, bureaucratic oversight and financial constraints—CSOs employ strategic alliances, transnational networks and digital activism to navigate these challenges. The research further demonstrates that international partnerships, though instrumental in sustaining advocacy efforts, introduce tensions related to donor dependency and allegations of foreign influence. By bridging empirical analysis with feminist theory, this thesis contributes to broader discussions on gendered governance, the resilience of civil society under authoritarian pressures and the evolving role of digital spaces in feminist activism. The research has both academic and practical implications, offering insights for policymakers, activists and international organizations working to strengthen civic spaces and gender equality advocacy in restrictive environments.

Subject Keywords

Women’s civil society organizations (CSOs), Gender-sensitive policymaking, State-civil society relations, Advocacy strategies, Participatory governance

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/114641

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis