ABSTRACT
The present chapter provides a historically orientated account of the changing modes of respectable femininity in Turkey as a contextual framework for the following empirical chapters. The chapter dwells on the 150-year-old tension between ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ ideas of respectable femininity, arguing that the establishment of the Republic of Turkey did not eliminate the occupation of Turkish society with honour and sexual restraint. The idea of honour continued to present itself, albeit in significant changes, across social groups and cultural classifications, leading to the contemporary complexions of class conflicts and struggles. The tension between the ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ ideas of respectable femininity has been particularly heightened in the last few decades of the country as broader representations strengthen the exclusively secular Western lifestyle as the cultural capital, and the political representation of conservative ideals creates a contested space.
