Gendered Representations of Urban Life in Late Ottoman and Early Republican Turkish Novels

The transformation of gender-based relations is one of the issues that late Ottoman and early Republican novels focus on in the context of Turkish modernization. The difference and contribution of this study is that it discusses gender relations with an intersectional approach by including the transformation of urban spatiality that progresses parallel to the history of modernization. By synthesizing literary and sociological perspectives, it explores how gender roles and identities were shaped by modernization in terms of sharing urban spaces. Using qualitative thematic analysis, this study focuses on four novels written between 1874 and 1931—Taaşşuk-ı Talat ve Fitnat, Araba Sevdası, Çalıkuşu, and Fatih-Harbiye—where the sense of urban space is a central theme. Findings indicate that in the Republican period, women developed a stronger sense of identity and belonging in urban spaces, reflecting broader social transformations. Key aspects include shifts in traditional gender roles, a small opportunity to experience the city, walking safely on the street, and lastly the feeling of belonging in the city. This study highlights that women’s engagement with the city extends beyond a simple male-female dichotomy, requiring an intersectional discussion of social backgrounds. By combining gender studies, literary analysis, and urban sociology, this research offers a nuanced understanding of gender, spatiality, and modernization in Turkish literature and history.