This paper provides a critical discussion of gender in the Middle East, followed by an analysis of similarities and differences between women's movements in the region. In case studies, the Egyptian and Turkish women's movement's are analysed in terms of their historical development and current political context, their constituent parts, goals and strategies. The paper concludes with a comparison of the two cases in greater detail, and relates emerging issues to more general debates about women's movements in the region.
In this article, the authors aim to highlight the various ways in which the ongoing oppression and conflict in the Middle East shape the responses of the Iraqi, Palestinian and Kurdish women of Turkey and the object of their struggles.