modernization and women in tunisia

211 Pages·2006·2.47 MB·English

MODERNIZATION AND WOMEN IN TUNISIA:
AN ANALYSIS THROUGH SELECTED FILMS

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

ÇİÇEK COŞKUN

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN
PROGRAM OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES

AUGUST 2006
Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata
Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of
Master of Science.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur
Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science.

Prof. Dr. Bahattin Akşit
Supervisor

Examining Committee Members

Prof. Dr. Bahattin Akşit (METU, SOC)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur (METU, HIST)
Dr. Mustafa Şen (METU, SOC)
I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and
presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also
declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and
referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Last name : Çiçek Coşkun

Signature :

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ABSTRACT

MODERNIZATION AND WOMEN IN TUNISIA: AN ANALYSIS THROUGH
SELECTED FILMS

Coşkun, Çiçek
M.S., Program of Middle East Studies
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bahattin Akşit
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Eyüp Özveren

August 2006, 202 pages

This study analyzes the representation of women and modernization in
Tunisian society by looking at Tunisian films produced in Tunisia after 1980.
Study aims to develop a new concept to understand modernization process of
women in a non-western, Muslim, and North African society through
representations in films.
Women’s modernization process has been analyzed through the qualitative
analyses of five Tunisian films by focusing on conceptualization of women issue
as one of the main elements of Tunisian modernization. More presicely, the study
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examines stages of women’s modernization on the one side, and representation of
this process in films on the other.
In conclusion, I argue that examining written literature alone is not enough
to understand women’s modernization process in a non-western society.
Expansion of modernization is not rapid and equal in the Tunisian society. If
taking place in the public sphere, having a paid job and having education are
taken as the indicators of women’s modernization, it is seen that lower class
women face with problems in every stage of Tunisian modernization. At that
point, attending to visual sources like cinema which has the ability to reflect the
society can give us convenient information about this process.
KEY WORDS: Modernization, women, Tunisia, cinema, films,
representation, public sphere, paid job, education, private sphere

v
ÖZ

TUNUS’TA MODERNLEŞME VE KADINLAR: SEÇİLMİŞ FİLMLER
YOLUYLA BİR ANALİZ

Coşkun,Çiçek
Yüksek Lisans, Orta Doğu Araştırmaları
Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Bahattin Akşit
Ortak Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Eyüp Özveren

Ağustos 2006, 202 sayfa

Bu çalışma Tunus toplumunda kadınların modernleşmesini Tunus’ta
1980’den sonra çekilen filmlere bakarak analiz etmektedir. Çalışma batılı
olmayan, Müslüman ve Kuzey Afrikalı bir toplumda kadınların modernleşme
süreçlerini anlayabilmek için filmlerdeki temsiller yoluyla yeni bir görüş
geliştirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Kadınların modernleşme süreci kadın konusunun Tunus modernleşmesinin
temel unsurlarından biri olarak kavramsallaştırılmasına odaklanılarak filmlerin
nitel çözümlenmesi ile analiz edilmiştir. Daha kesin olarak, çalışma bir taraftan
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kadınların modernleşmesinin aşamalarını incelerken, öbür taraftan bu sürecin
filmlerdeki temsilini incelemektedir.
Sonuç olarak, batılı olmayan bir toplumda sadece yazılı edebiyatı
incelemenin kadınların modernleşme sürecini anlamak için yeterli olmadığını
savunuyorum. Tunus toplumunda modernleşmenin yayılması hızlı ve eşit değildir.
Kamusal alanda yer almak, ücretli bir işe sahip olmak ve eğitim almak
modernleşmenin göstergeleri olarak düşünülürse, alt sınıf kadınların Tunus
modernleşmesinin her aşamasında sorunlarla karşılaştıkları görülür. Bu noktada,
sinema gibi toplumu yansıtma becerisine sahip olan görsel kaynaklara bakmak
bize bu süreç hakkında işe yarar bilgi sağlayabilir.
ANAHTAR KELİMELER: Modernleşme, kadınlar, Tunus, sinema,
filmler, temsil, kamusal alan, ücretli iş, eğitim, özel alan

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To my sister İpek
I wish I was somebody like you...

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Prof. Dr. Bahattin Akşit for his
direction, guidance, advice and criticism. Thanks to his suggestions and advices, I
met with the Middle Eastern and North African cinema and culture. This study
affected and changed my future plans positively.
I am also grateful to Prof. Dr. Eyüp Özveren for his suggestions and
comments throughout the study. Thanks to his suggestions, selection of the scenes
and analysis of the selected films became easier and fruitful.
I am also grateful to Ankara Association For Cinema Culture, to Bülent
Gündüz, Özlem Gündüz and Özgül Temizsütlü, for their help to find Tunisian
films and for their friendship since we met.
Finally, I wish to thank to Beril for her support, advices and friendship.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is to analyze Tunisian women’s modernization by
looking at Tunisian cinema films produced in Tunisia after 1980s. Study quests
to develop a new concept to understand modernization process of women of a
non-western, Muslim, and North African society through representations in
films. More precisely, the study follows Tunisian women’s modernization
process from a historical manner on the one side, from representations in films
by taking the tendency of Tunisian cinema towards woman issue after 1980s
into consideration, on the other.
My goal for choosing Tunisia to examine women’s modernization is the
successful advent and consolidation of modernization process in Tunisia. As a
young and independent Maghribi country, Tunisia has a different stand about
women issue since its independence. Women’s emancipation and participation
to public sphere has always been on the agenda of governors. As a result,
Tunisia has a fertile ground to examine women’s modernization unlike the rest
of the Middle East and North Africa (except Turkey).
On the other hand, my goal for choosing the method to analyze women’s
modernization through films is cinema’s capability of consisting simulations of
reality, reflecting society and persuading people to its stories. Thus, cinema has
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