‘Ottoman Women: Myth and Reality’
by KATHARINE BRANNIG*
There is a wonderful expression in Turkish, “Osmanlı kadını” (Ottoman woman), used to praise a woman of extraordinary bearing and conviction, strong in her opinions and her influence.
It would appear that author Aslı Sancar has taken this expression to heart, for she has written a book, “Ottoman Women: Myth and Reality,” which illustrates the famed Ottoman woman in all her splendor and in all her facets and which presents us with an image of a group of women that were indeed extraordinary.
This beautifully illustrated book presents a sensitive, respectful and generally unbiased presentation of the subject and offers a timely contribution to the critical questions facing the relations between Islam and the West, and Islam and secularism in Turkey. It will serve to encourage the ever-growing field of research into the complexity of the institution of the harem.
Sancar is a writer and lecturer on women’s issues. Born and raised in the US, she has lived in İstanbul for nearly a quarter of a century since her marriage to a Turk and has been studying the role of women in the Ottoman Empire for about 10 years. She is a frequent lecturer on the subject and has published two books and numerous articles about women and the family. Sancar is a practicing Muslim and often speaks publicly on her decision to wear the headscarf. Coming from such a unique perspective (an American Christian convert to Islam), the author is well-grounded to investigate the dichotomies of two cultures.
The basic thesis of the author, clearly stated in the introduction and repeated numerous times in varied ways throughout the book, is that women living in the Ottoman Empire were not the passive, oppressed, depraved and highly sexualized models painted by 19th century Western Orientalism. Indeed, few images are stronger in the eyes of Westerners relative to the Turks than the concept of the harem, with its evocations of the sultan and his lavish lifestyle at Topkapı, with hundreds of women slaves at his disposal for his personal entertainment and sexual pleasure. Indeed, the Western fantasy of the harem has been seen as the very archetype for Western appropriation of the Orient. Rather than rehash the salacious details of this institution that have been described in historical sources, critical interpretations and by Orientalist painters, the author prefers to de-emphasize this stereotype of the odalisque at the service of the “lustful Turk” and to present us with a portrait of an Ottoman woman as dignified and generous, and engaged in her feminine life at the highest level. Sancar endeavors throughout the book, via direct source citations, Western writings and legal documents, to break the mold of this enduring myth. She explains in a footnote that she has focused on sources dating from the late 19th century, as references from before this time are unfortunately rare. This research premise should have been more clearly stated in the text.
You will thus not find here stories of sexual depravity and ennui, but rather a portrait of a diverse group of women. However, this ambitious attempt to depict such a broad diversity is perhaps a bit problematic. Expansive generalizations for women living in an era that lasted over 600 years and in such a wide geographical and ethnic sphere (from İstanbul to Algiers to Budapest to Saudi Arabia) must thus be read as such, and not as a definitive snapshot of the mores of a group of women at one point in time and place. It would be unviable, for example, to attempt in a similar vein to write a book on the pre-modern era American woman, and compare Abigail Adams, a frontier woman, Scarlett O’Hara and Harriet Tubman all in one brushstroke. In addition, her conviction that the Ottoman woman was as complex and multi-dimensional as any other group of women again seems to be self-evident and could be said of any geographical sphere or historical era, be it the women of Ming China, Enlightenment France or Victorian England. Complexity is indeed the foundation of womanhood.
Excerpts from firsthand witnesses
In order to directly jump into the debate and to appeal to the Western reader, Sancar starts her book with an introduction to the Ottoman women as seen by Western eyes: their physical appearance, refinement, cleanliness, devoutness, hospitality and generosity, modesty, freedom, love of nature and social status. She quotes the often-cited accounts of such famous female travelers as Lady Mary Montagu, Julia Pardoe and Lucy Garnett, all of whom traveled or lived in Ottoman territories during the 18 and 19th centuries. The droves of Western (usually British) female visitors to the harems in the 19th century were often struck by the nobility and generosity of the women they met, far from the prevalent depraved and indolent images gleaned from male sources and Orientalist paintings. It is the hope of Sancar that these unbiased descriptions of harem life will overturn what she considers the tiresome image of the Turkish woman as one trapped and enslaved to men. Sancar offers up the often-quoted passage by Lady Mary that states that “Turkish women were perhaps the freest in the world,” as well as Mary’s debunking of the myth of the handkerchief, an item which the sultan supposedly would drop in front of the lady of his choice. A large portion of the text is composed of extended quotes from these letters and journals of Western women who saw and reported the Ottoman culture firsthand. These enjoyable excerpts provide a rich grouping of fascinating material and offer a window into a former era and a very private realm. It would have been better, however, to include more Ottoman women quoted as direct sources.
After this cross-cultural turn, Sancar presents the concept of the harem as both a physical area in the home or in public as well as a social space and discusses the various roles the Ottoman woman played as wife, mother and mother-in-law. She is strongest when describing the activities in the daily life of their world: childbirth, celebration of religious holidays and outings and other social activities, offering up a goldmine of information as rich as the sultan’s treasury.
She then devotes an entire chapter to the Ottoman woman as slave in the realms of private and royal harems, presenting an honest and detailed picture of the hierarchy of women in the Imperial Harem as wives, concubines, queen mothers, philanthropic patrons, princesses and the various slaves that tended to them in turn. This picture is further illustrated with anecdotes of some of the most famous Ottoman women of the harem, such as Hürrem Sultan and Dürrüşehvar Sultan.
The most groundbreaking discussion involves her presentation of historical research showing that women frequently prevailed in cases against their husbands and other male relatives in the Ottoman courts. This eye-opening chapter presents the legal status of Ottoman women as seen through court records and traces their rights as concerns the issues of marriage, dowry, support, divorce, remarriage, polygamy, spousal abuse, child custody, inheritance and property rights. It can be seen from them that the Ottoman woman had a stronger and more vocal role and legal rights than was previously thought and were far in advance of their European sisters.
A final chapter is dedicated to speculation concerning the spiritual life of Ottoman women and to what extent they achieved a balance between their inner metaphysical quests with their daily lives. It is this section that is perhaps the weakest of the book, as it reads as the personal viewpoint of the author rather than a scientific analysis. It also seems as if the author is interested in presenting the lives of women in Ottoman society as a role model for how women ought to live today. She describes the Ottoman woman as “a fighter, a staunch and courageous defender of her God-given rights” (p. 7), a curious echo of some front-page quotes in the Turkish press today regarding the defense of the headscarf.
That said, the author has written a book that is well-organized and enjoyable to read. Her writing style is direct and approachable, and the chapter content flows logically. The fact that she writes in her native English avoids the problem of the clumsy translations often encountered in such texts.
Above all, this is a stunning book to behold and is a gorgeous publication that speaks highly of its publishing house, The Light, which is committed to producing high-quality publications that contribute to a better understanding of the issues of religion, science and the promotion of information on the Islamic faith and lifestyle to a Western public. This luxurious trade paperback book is designed in the almost square format of a small magazine (eight-and-five-eighths-inches-wide by nine-and-three-eighths-inches-high), with end flaps that mimic a hardcover dust jacket. No expense was spared in this book, with thick, glossy paper used to beautifully set off the illustrations, elegant varied typefaces, layout and colors changing on each page shimmering with watermarked backgrounds. The book is lavishly illustrated with artwork: high-quality reproductions of paintings, archival photographs, interiors, textiles and other daily objects (such as tea cups, musical instruments, prayer beads and kerchiefs). It is appreciated that the author chose to illustrate the book with many Turkish paintings, rather than the stereotypes of the Western canon. Few can resist the charming and delightful scenes of Osman Hamdi Bey, a leading 19th century artist, that grace many of the pages. All these illustrations serve well to depict the beauty and refinement of the lives of Ottoman women.
Also appreciated are the detailed references included with the text. Sancar consistently documented her sources and quotes with over 200 footnotes. The book provides complete details for all the artwork and cover illustrations and includes a concise index and a one-page glossary of Turkish terms that appear in the text. Another valued aspect is a comprehensive four-page bibliography, covering a wide range of sources and topics relative to her chapters. Unfortunately, there are several egregious omissions on her bibliography. Reina Lewis’ “Rethinking Orientalism: Women, Travel and the Ottoman Harem” and “Intimate Outsiders” by Mary Roberts are not included, which is a shame, since both authors did much to challenge the well-entrenched stereotypes concerning the identity of the Ottoman woman as the passive odalisque, and to explore the dialogue between East and West, just as Sancar has set out to do.
In conclusion, readers both familiar and unfamiliar with Ottoman customs will have their horizons broadened in this interpretation of Ottoman history and sexual-social relations in the East and West. Sancar, coming from her unique vantage point, presents arguments that are multi-faceted and that make connections for all to understand. In an extended period of history defined by war, absolute rulers, cultural change, religious upheaval and intercultural conflict, Sancar shows how the Ottoman woman managed to serve as a focus and inspiration for society. Sancar must be complimented for her exploration of the difficult topics of seclusion, slavery, the veil and polygamy, which continue to be in the forefront of the discourse today and which often hinder communication between the East and West as concerns the concepts of the interpretation of feminism in the 21st century. This book, suitable for all publics, presents an engaging and appealing image of women, idealistic perhaps, but one that shows respect and love to its subject, and hope for the future of a diversified and democratic Turkey. Sancar is an Osmanlı kadını, indeed.
“Ottoman Women: Myth and Reality”
by Aslı Sancar
The Light Publications, 2007 $29.95
ISBN 9781597841153
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* Katharine Branning is a librarian with the French Institute Alliance Francaise, New York.
Original:
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=136867
