Women's Access to Public Space in the Late Ottoman, Early Republican Period: Istanbul Through a Woman Painter's Diary

This study examines women's experiences in public spaces and the restrictions they faced in late Ottoman and early Republican Istanbul. It aims to make visible the boundaries imposed on women in public spaces, despite the privileged positions of different social groups. Utilizing the methodologies offered by feminist history and geography, the study provides a gendered reinterpretation of urban history and analyzes the connections between related publications. The study focuses on the biography of painter Sabiha Bozca-lı, based on her 1941 diary and personal archive, to explore how women experienced public spaces and mobility in early Republican Istanbul. It investigates how women’s everyday lives were shaped by the complex interactions between gender norms, space, and social change. In this context, the study examines the opportunities and obstacles women encountered in urban spaces and analyzes the evolving and persistent aspects of these experiences throughout history. It evaluates how women living in different parts of Istanbul were constrained by spatial arrangements and social dynamics or created new spaces of movement. By adopting a historical perspective, this study aims to reveal the gendered structure of public spaces and the role of women in the city.