The discourse of gender roles in the Islamic female writers; The case of Cihan Aktaş and Yıldız Ramazanoğlu

This study focuses on analyzing woman identity and gender roles through the discourses of Islamic women authors. Being among the followers of the political and sociological events triggering changes all around the world as the living witnesses of the period of last thirty years, Cihan Aktaş and Yıldız Ramazanoğlu are the two women authors mainly discussed within the scope of our study. In consideration of their books, works published in various journals and newspapers, and the interviews of the authors, their perspectives on women identity and gender roles have been analyzed. Basically, it is possible to assert that Islamic women deem themselves responsible to the family and the society. Although this responsibility feeds on the individual's ideal to realize itself, it is yet different than the modern world's individual that gets ever lonelier. The recent gravitation of Islamic intellectual women particularly to the topic of individuality is based on their doubts concerning the family life and the community life. Human's responsibility to itself covers its capability to maintain its life without being in need of anyone else. According to them, this responsibility born by all virtuous, moral and rational individuals to themselves also connotes being an integral factor within the family and the society. However, it is important that it does not fade away and loose its identity. Islamic women's discourses on `freedom` should be considered in this context. The struggle for identity of Islamic women does not include a deep rooted change. The fact that Islamic women do not reject traditional roles due to their religious commitment is among the reasons for this. The inadequacy of …