The private archive of 40 women who played significant roles in Ottoman and Republican history is brought to readers through the book “40 Women 40 Lives”.
In collaboration with the Women’s Library and Information Centre Foundation and İBB Publications, the private archive of 40 women located in Istanbul’s archival institutions will meet readers in November with the book “40 Women 40 Lives in Women’s Private Archives“. The book, prepared with contributions from 38 expert authors and the library collective, explores the life stories of 40 women from Pertevniyal Valide Sultan to Fatma Aliye Hanım, Halide Edip, Sabiha Sertel, Necile Tevfik, Behice Boran, Adalet Ağaoğlu, Muazzez İlmiye Çığ, Şirin Tekeli, and the younger generation’s Şefika Şehvar Beşiroğlu through their private archives.
In the preface of the book, Prof. Dr. Tûba Çavdar Karatepe notes that the life stories of these women challenge boundaries, allowing us to view historical, political, and social dimensions comprehensively. She expresses that this work aims to draw attention to private archives, particularly women’s private archives, highlighting the importance of organizing these archives for researchers and the significance of donating private archives.
The Women’s Library and Information Centre Foundation significantly contributes to enriching women’s private archives and making these archives accessible to researchers. The Private Archive Collection houses women’s private archives from Süreyya Ağaoğlu to Kerime Nadir, from Safiye Hüseyin Elbi to Hasene Ilgaz, and from Jale Baysal to Zerrin Bölükbaşı.
40 Women 40 Lives
Invisible Private Spaces Behind the Public Sphere
Through the book 40 Women 40 Lives in Women’s Private Archives, the value of archives located in institutions such as the Atatürk Library, Boğaziçi University Archive and Documentation Centre, Tek-Esin Foundation, Salt Research, Kubbealtı Academy Culture and Arts Foundation, and the Turkish Social History Research Foundation (TÜSTAV) is reminded to readers. The documents found in Pertevniyal Valide Sultan’s archive reflect the 19th century of the Ottoman Empire. This archive reveals a woman’s struggle for power, her rise and fall, covering political history, social change, consumer culture, the nature of property, etc. The documents also allow for a gender perspective on the life of a woman who rose from concubinage to Valide Sultan. The archive includes numerous documents related to farms in İzmir, Tırhala, and Yenişehir, the Valide Sultan Mosque in Aksaray, lodges, the Gureba Hospital in Medina, rifles purchased for the military with Valide Sultan’s personal funds, donations made to the army, letters signed by Valide Sultan, ledgers related to income, documents concerning the upbringing and internal affairs of the sultan, expense ledgers belonging to Fatma Sultan and other women in the harem, tezkire, ilmühaber, pusula, receipt bonds, lease contracts, a comprehensive report written about the school established by Pertevniyal Valide Sultan in Aksaray, sketches, plans, receipts showing the values of lands belonging to Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, and various correspondences.
Source: Habere Güven, 03.11.2022, https://www.habereguven.com/40-kadin-40-hayat