writing_womans_lives_symposium_paper_book_v2

FOLLOWING THE TRACES OF THE UNION OF TURKISH WOMEN
DELEGATES TO THE 1935 CONGRESS
Aslı DAVAZ *
In September 1927, when Nezihe Muhiddin the President of the Union of Turkish Women (TKB/Türk
Kadın Birliği) has been removed from duty, the Presidency of the Union which had been founded on 7
February 1924, passed to Lâtife Bekir, who then served in this position from 1927 – 1935. During this
period Nezihe Muhiddin's earlier efforts to develop the relationships with the International Alliance of
Woman for Suffrage and Equal Citizenship (IWSA/ International Alliance) advanced and it was decided
that the IWSA would hold its 12 th Congress in Istanbul. The International Alliance had been formally
established in 1904, following the drawing‐up of the Founding Declaration during the Conference held
in Washington DC in 1902, and from 1904 ‐ 1907 directed its efforts towards women's suffrage
campaigns. The Alliance held conferences in Berlin in 1904 and in Copenhagen in 1906. Campaigns
directed towards women's suffrage advanced considerably between 1908 – 1910, with a congress held
in Amsterdam in 1908, and another in London in 1909. From 1911 – 1914, two well known activists of
the The Alliance Carrie Chapman Catt and Aletta Jacobs embarked on a global tour aimed at increasing
the numbers of the Alliance member states; this journey brought them into contact with women from
the Middle and Far East. The Alliance also continued to hold congresses during this period, one in
Stockholm in 1911 and in Budapest in 1913. During the 1914‐1918 First World War period, the Alliance
members turned their efforts towards the securement of peace, and organized a Peace Conference
that was held in 1919. After having suspended their own congresses during this period, by 1920 the
Alliance had regrouped and met again at a congress in Geneva. During the ensuing years the Alliance
again directed its efforts towards securing political rights. Following the 1923 Congress in Rome and
the 1926 Congress in Paris, the International Alliance celebrated its 25 th anniversary with a Jubilee
Congress held in 1929 in Berlin. From 1930 – 1935 the Alliance member states directed their activities
towards peace and disarmament. While the Great Depression that spanned the years 1930 – 1935 led
some to doubt the meaningfulness of their continued efforts, the 12 th Congress held in Istanbul in 1935
reaffirmed the vitality of the Alliance. 1
The Board Members of the Union of Turkish Women's, led by Lâtife Bekir, selected 24 delegates (12
full and 12 alternate members) to represent them at the 12 th Congress. Turkey thus has ranked with
the most delegates permitted by the Alliance Constitution. Ten of the eleven members of the Board
served as delegates, the only exception being Vecihe Ziya. The full member delegates from the Board
Members were Lâtife Bekir, Lâmia Refik, Seniha Rauf and Necile Tevfik, while Efzayiş Suat, Nermin
Muvaffak, Dr. Pakize İzzet, Mihri Hüseyin, Safiye Hüseyin, Leman Fuat, Faika Nahit and Nebahat Hamit
were full delegates, but not from the Board. The alternate delegates who were also on the Board were
Piraye Tor, Saadet Refet, Ayşe Remzi, Madiha Fethi, Aliye Halit and Aliye Esad, while Arayiş Hüseyin,
Hasene Ilgaz, Belkıs Halim, Seniye Cenanî, Zekâvet Zâti and Emine Saffet were alternates who were not
Board members. The 14 full and alternate members who were not from the Board were selected from
among those women who had close ties to the Union Board Members and who could best represent
the organization. This generation, along with the Board Members and members of the Alliance
themselves, were all suffragists who had been born during this same time period. They were all united
in their struggle towards a common goal, even if the ways and methods they used to achieve the right
to vote and to be elected may have differed from one another in kind.
*
The Women's Library and Information Center Foundation - Istanbul, Turkey
26