ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the evolution of the public discourse on female soldiering in Turkey between 1934 and the Second World War. It contributes to the historical understanding of today's discourse on female soldiering in Turkey and caters to historical feminist security studies. Based on contemporary official documents, egodocuments and print publications, the chapter points out that during the years in question, women were deliberately incorporated into homeland defense but were rigorously prevented from joining the national armed forces. The chapter also demonstrates the increasing militarization of Turkish society in the 1930s, including paramilitary training as part of the school curriculum for boys and girls, the establishment of the association for gliding and skydiving (Türkkuşu), and home defense classes for everybody. The extremely large role that gender images played during the military operation in the Dersim region is also part of the analysis. The chapter argues that the conflict of objectives, which has arisen among traditional gender role models, the expectations raised by the state feminism Itself, and the need to secure armed peace, has not been reconciled.
