Nezihe Muhiddin Tepedelengil (1889 – 10 February 1958) was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist,

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

, journalist, writer and political leader. In the 20th century Ottoman Empire, Nezihe Muhiddin was a pioneer of the women's movement who fought to ensure the recognition of women's political rights after declaration of republican regime. She became one of leading names of the First Wave Republican feminists. Even before the establishment of the Republican People's Party, Nezihe Muhiddin completed the formation of Women's People's Party (KHF) in 1923 and became the founder of the first political party in Turkey. She also served as a president of the Women's Union between 1924-1927 and helped the founding process of the journal named ''Turk Kadin Yolu''. She is a writer who has written 20 novels, 300 stories, playings, screenplays, operettas.

Life

Early life and education

She was born in Kandilli, Istanbul in 1889. She’s the daughter of a prosecutor and criminal judge Mr. Muhiddin. She completed her education with lessons from private teachers and did not receive higher education. She studied privately at home and learned Persian, Arabic, German, French. From her early teenage years, she grew up liable to political and social issues and the state of being a woman. Nezihe Muhiddin’s cousin and her mother’s debates and discussion on literature and social problems led the way of Muhiddin’s ideology. She expresses that she sees the greatest contribution in terms of education from her cousin Nakiye Hanım. According to her, Nakiye Hanım is an exemplary Turkish woman who has experienced the modern type of woman, so her thoughts carry a lot of traces from her. She kept using her father’s surname, Muhiddin, in her literary works instead of the surname of his second husband.

Career and literary works

She is the founder of the first party of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, Kadınlar Halk Fırkası (People's Party for Women or Women's People Party) in July 1923. KHF was founded for the political and social rights of women. Due to the political situation during the time, it was not recognized officially by the modern Turkish state. Muhiddin then founded Türk Kadınlar Birliği (Turkish Women's Union) with Latife Bekir. Türk Kadınlar Birliği continued to press for political equality. In 1927 the Union decided to promote a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

male candidate to champion women's rights in the parliament, but he was unsuccessful. She spent her life working to improve the quality of the lives of Turkish women. Nezihe Muhiddin wrote novels that studied women's problems and criticized men's attitudes in marriages. Her first novel, "''Şebâb-ı Tebah”'' (Disappearing Youth), was published in 1911. Muhiddin started her career at the age of twenty and served many duties. She wrote articles in magazines and newspapers, one of the most important works among them was Kadın Yolu Dergisi between 1925-1926. Throughout her life, she wrote 20 novels, 300 stories, play, operettas, screenplays. She translated works of world writers such as Goethe and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

. In 1913, she took part in the establishment of the charity named "Turkish Ladies Protection Association” and also became the secretariat of the association. Moreover, she was one of the founders of the Women's Branch of the “Donanma Cemiyeti” which was established to support the Ottoman navy. However, when she was doing charity work, the main issue on her mind was unity of women and their participation in political life. Muhiddin, in her work called Turkish Women, states that she learned the notion of femininity from the women she grew up within the same environment and her actions were shaped by feeding on their ideas. She worked as a Directorate of ''İttihad ve Terakki Kız Sanayi Mehteb'' and published many novels and stories. She took important positions in associations, congregation, and communities that were founded by women. In 1927, the Union chose to advance a male contender for parliament, which ended up being ineffective. That very year, Nezihe Muhiddin was accused of debasement as the seat of the Union and had to leave her position. The Turkish Women's Union disbanded in 1935, and it was invited to join the semi-official People's Houses, like many similar autonomous organizations. Nezihe Muhiddin was threatened, disregarded, and discarded by a series of prosecutions, both by the state authorities and by her female companions. As a result of the intimidation and deletion policies of that period, she did (could) not engage in political activity after the 1930s and focused on her author identity. She wrote many stories and novels. On February 10, 1958, she died in a mental hospital located in İstanbul.

Publications

Books

* ''Şebab-ı Tebah'' (''The Lost Youth'') * ''Benliğim benimdir'' (''My Ego is Mine'') * ''Güzellik Kraliçesi'' (''The Beauty Queen'') * ''Boz Kurt'' (''The Grey Wolf'') * ''İstanbul'da Bir Landru'' (''A Landru in Istanbul'') * ''Ateş Böcekleri'' (''Fire Flies'') * ''Bir Aşk Böyle Bitti'' (''This is How A Love Ended'') * ''Çıplak Model'' (''The Naked Model'') * ''İzmir Çocuğu'' (''The Child of Izmir'') * ''Avare Kadın'' (''Wastrel Woman'') * ''Bir Yaz Gecesiydi'' (''It Was a Summer Night'') * ''Çıngıraklı Yılan'' (''The Rattlesnake'') * ''Kalbim Senindir'' (''My Heart Belongs To You'') * ''Sabah Oluyor'' (''Turning Out to be Morning'') * ''Gene Geleceksin'' (''You Will Come Back'') * ''Sus Kalbim Sus!'' (''Shush, My Heart, Shush!'') * ''Türk Kadını'' (''Turkish Woman'')

References

External links

Historical Roots of the Turkish Women's Movement

Late Ottoman and Early Turkish women activists. Yeni Şafak Newspaper Article in Turkish.

Ottoman Women's Movement, Turkish article in Radikal Newspaper

Muhiddin, life and books. Radikal Newspaper Article in Turkish.

Bir milletin nisvânı, derece-i terâkkisinin mizânıdır. SesOnline Article by Ayse Hur in Turkish
* Feminist writers 1889 births 1958 deaths Turkish writers Turkish activists Turkish women activists Turkish feminists Multicultural feminism Feminism and history 20th-century Turkish women politicians Leaders of political parties in Turkey 20th-century women from the Ottoman Empire Turkish women writers Suffragists {{Turkey-law-bio-stub