A lifetime dedicated to the republic: Hasene Ilgaz with works, activities, and thoughts

Undoubtedly, the circumstances and the period we are born into shape our biography. Therefore, biographical works do not only tell us the story of a life. They also tell the story of an era. There are such lives lived at turning points in history that tell us a lot about the period beyond being a biography. This study focuses on the Turkish female identity idealized by the founding elite of the Republic in the early Republican period through the life of Hasene Ilgaz, who lived in such a period and whose works and activities shed on light the period she lived in. These women’s identities, shaped by the founding principles and ideals of Republican Turkey, also make it possible to look at recent Turkish history studies from a new perspective. This is because Turkish women are part of the Turkish Modernization experience, which began with the Tanzimat, gained momentum with the Second Constitutional Period, and took on a contemporary character with the Republic. As the lives of these special women of the early Republican period come to light, they will make valuable contributions to our recent history. This thesis aims to make such a contribution to the literature in the case of Hasene Ilgaz.