Study Notes on Gender, Media, and State Power: The Istanbul Convention and Turkey's Withdrawal Process

Prevention: Strategies and measures aimed at avoiding violence before it occurs.
Protection: Measures to protect victims and ensure their safety and support.
Prosecution: Legal frameworks to hold perpetrators accountable for acts of violence.
Integrated Policies: Connecting various governmental policies to effectively combat violence against women.

Convention Definition: Gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours, and attributes associated with women and men.
Contested Interpretation:
- Seen as denying biological sex.
- Framed as imposing “gender ideology.”

Convention Stipulation: Protection must be ensured without discrimination on the grounds of:
- Sex: Biological attributes of women and men.
- Gender: Social roles and relations.
- Sexual Orientation: The emotional and sexual attraction one feels towards others.
- Gender Identity: A person's internal understanding of their gender, which may differ from their biological sex.
Contested Aspects:
- Claimed to “legitimize” LGBTQ+ identities.
- Viewed as a threat to the traditional family structure.

Convention Statement: Culture, tradition, religion, or so-called “honour” cannot justify violence.
Debated Viewpoints:
- Seen as interference with traditions and religious values.
- Considered state intervention into family life.

Convention Clarifications:
- No redefinition of marriage.
- No abolition of the family unit.
- No obligations concerning sexual orientation or gender identity.
Mischaracterizations:
- Framed as “destroying the family.”
- Presented as “undermining moral values.”

The Convention was framed as a cultural threat rather than a legal framework aimed at protection.
Emphasis placed on morality, family, and national values as integral to societal identity.

Examples:
- “The Istanbul Convention Threatens the Family”
- “Say No to Gender Ideology”
- “A Western Immorality Project”

Moral Panic: Creating an exaggerated sense of threat regarding the Convention.
Othering: Defining certain groups as outsiders.
Us vs. Them Narratives: Polarizing views that promote division.
Invisibilization of Violence: Marginalizing discussions around actual violence against women.

Examples advocating for the Convention include:
- “The Istanbul Convention Saves Lives”
- “Women’s Right to Life Is Non-Negotiable”
- “Violence Is a Human Rights Issue”

Defined as a global political movement opposing gender equality policies.
Focuses on central values of family, religion, and nation as necessary to societal structure.

Turkey:
- Status: Withdrew from the Convention in 2021.
- Dominant Discourse: Protection of the family, accompanied by anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
- Political Actor: Executive power led withdrawal.
Poland:
- Status: Engaged in debates over withdrawal and facing legal restrictions.
- Dominant Discourse: Emphasis on Catholic values and anti-abortion rhetoric.
- Political Actor: Right-wing conservative government.
Hungary:
- Status: Has never ratified the Convention.
- Dominant Discourse: Ongoing “gender ideology” narrative.
- Political Actor: Orbán government with authoritarian populist governance.

Anti-Gender Ideology Discourse: Consistent framing across different nations.
Targeting of Feminist Movements: Efforts to undermine the progress and voices of feminist advocates.
Distance from International Human Rights Norms: Moving away from global commitments to gender equality and human rights protections.

Gramsci: Cultural Hegemony: The concept that the state governs through both coercion and consent, creating cultural narratives that support its governance.
Stanley Cohen: Moral Panic: The phenomenon where societies exaggerate perceived threats, creating folk devils out of marginalized groups.
Judith Butler: Gender as a Site of Power: The argument that gender is a political battleground upon which struggles over identity, control, and power play out.

Core Idea: The state utilizes cultural narratives to maintain power beyond mere coercion.
Application: Opposition to the Istanbul Convention relates to cultural hegemony over family, morality, and national identity, with feminist rights labeled as foreign or elitist.

Concept: Threats are exaggerated through media and cultural narratives, resulting in specific groups being demonized.
Folks Devils Example: LGBTQ+ individuals and feminists are targeted as examples of societal decay.
Key Elements of Moral Panic: Includes media exaggeration, simplification, distortion, and discussions around moral decline.

Main Argument: Gender identity and expressions are critical to understanding power and political struggles.
Opposition to the Convention: Viewed as a struggle for control over bodies, sexuality, and the organization of family units.

Is withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention a legal decision or merely a symbolic act of power?