CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CHILDHOOD AND GENDER IN TURKISH CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

This chapter analyzes changes in gender discourse in children’s literature in Turkey since the nineteenth century, which reflect larger shifts in the conceptualization of childhood in a Turkish context that challenge universal models of childhood. The Early Republican period portrayed women in children’s books as mothers responsible for the upbringing and education of children. Men worked for the economic welfare of the family, while women were kept at home fulfilling domestic duties. The second half of the twentieth century saw increasing social movements around the world and political tension in Turkey, which led to an increase in exploring equality and depicting agency across gendered lines in Turkish literature. These shifts demonstrate how new and specific childhood cultures have emerged in Turkey and challenged the legacy of the previous two centuries.