The Woman Symbol of Modernisation in the Republican Period: Afet ？nan (1925-1938)

Afet ？nan is the witness and dedicant of an indecisive period in which the traditional absolutism began to decline, parliamentary monarchy which would be experienced in two different periods would dominate with the discourses of freedom and constitutional system and the reformist traces of a more radical modernization began to emerge compared to the past. Therefore, Afet ？nan experienced the transitional pains of this interregnum period and enjoyed omnifarous political, social, cultural and intellectual atmosphere of the period and became the pioneer of studies like women’s rights, archaeology and anthropology. In the midst of a period between old and new, traditional and modern, absolutism and constitutional system, she experienced herself an effort to find a place and a direction in every aspect of life. Afet ？nan, who was the witness of this historical turning point, will be evaluated during the period which she lived. Afet ？nan would take part in the active cadre of the era when a story of foundation from collapse was written. Her position in this story of foundation and emancipation, the environment in which she had her virtues and developed her ideas are among the subjects of this study. With her own words, describing herself as the student andscholarly companion of Atatürk, ？nan is understood to have a virtue of representing he modernization process of Turkish Republic in numerous fields