STRUGGLES OF SECURITY AND SECULARISM IN TÜRKİYE AND ITS IMPACT ON GENDER ISSUES

The process of securitization reflects thedominant security understanding, the forces that play on this securityunderstanding in a country. In Turkey the process of securitization isexperienced in close relation to militarization. Turkey has gone through anintensified process of militarization that has affected the process ofsecuritization. These processes are constructed, but claimed to be “natural”for the securitization to work smoothly. This construction is based on agendered understanding and discourse especially with the way that the securityagenda is constituted, that helps for consolidation of the dominant securityunderstanding. With the effect of militarization on the process ofsecuritization, security agenda is formed with the state as the sole referentobject, and this results in the individual security being taken forgranted. The state can also be a sourceof threat for individual security within this relationship of securitizationand militarization. The militarized understanding of security and the closerelationship between the processes of securitization and militarization resultsin a hierarchical attitude towards events, developments where individualsecurity in general and the security of women, in particular, are neglected.This paper analyzes the relationship between the securitization andmilitarization and shows their gendered construction in Turkey. ; The process of securitization reflects thedominant security understanding and the forces that play on this securityunderstanding in a country. In Türkiye, this process of securitization isexperienced in close relation to militarization. With four militaryinterventions since the republic was established, two of which were full-scalecoups d’état. Türkiye has gone through an intensified process of militarizationthat has affected the process of securitization. These processes areconstructed, but claimed to be “natural” for the securitization to worksmoothly. This construction is based on a genderedunderstanding and discourse especially with the way that the security agenda isconstituted, which helps for consolidation of the dominant securityunderstanding. With the effect of militarization on the process ofsecuritization, the security agenda is formed with the state as the solereferent object, and this results in the individual security being taken forgranted. Furthermore, the state can also be a source of threat for individualsecurity within this relationship of securitization and militarization. Themilitarized understanding of security and the close relationship between theprocesses of securitization and militarization results in a hierarchicalattitude towards events and developments where individual security in generaland the security of women, in particular, are neglected. This paper analyzesthe relationship between the processes of securitization and militarization andshows their gendered construction in Türkiye.