The Social Role of Women in the “Varna Postası” Weekly

One of the developments contributing to the modernization movements in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century was the publication of Turkish newspapers. After the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War, Bulgaria remained attached to the Ottoman Empire in the status of an autonomous principality until the Balkan Wars. In Bulgaria during that period, newspapers were published in Bulgarian, French, and Turkish. Turkish newspapers were mainly published for the Muslim population in Bulgaria to receive news, address their issues, and contribute to their education. Varna Postası (1887) newspaper is one of the periodicals published in Turkish in Varna, occasionally including columns in Bulgarian. The subject of this article is to examine the articles in Varna Postası regarding the education of Muslim women and the participation of women in modernization. Looking at Varna Postası, we see articles aimed at the education and general cultural development of children, teenagers, and adult girls from elementary to middle school levels. These articles address the educational situation in schools in cities such as Ruschuk, Varna, and Sofia, offering support for various subjects. Articles on literature, architecture, child rearing, and social life aim to develop the general culture, reading habits, and aesthetic tastes of boys and girls. Some articles emphasize the goal of raising knowledgeable, quality, and modern individuals who can adapt to modernization. Varna Postası only seemingly pointed to the enormous social role of women. The image emerging from published texts depicts a society where men remained in a socially stronger position. They were decision-makers, politicians, soldiers, etc. Even if women took advantage of the right to education and could have a chance to be educated for political roles, the possibility of pursuing such a profession was not offered to them. They were supposed to educate themselves for the roles of wives and mothers in order to “serve” men. Going beyond these boundaries was, in reality, impossible. This topic is examined in detail in this article.