Through an exciting historical journey, from the 19th century to the present day, the book examines and compares - in theory and in practice - the impact of the European system on nation-building and the struggle for women's rights in two countries that did not participate in the Renaissance and the European Enlightenment.
Greece and Turkey, despite having different starting points and historical relationships between conqueror and conquered, present many similarities: early European orientation and pro-Western policies, pursuit of European identity, cultural dualism, centralized state, delayed economic and social structures, strong religiousness, discrimination and violence against women, and the inability to establish a modern, mature democracy. In other words, two hybrid systems are examined, which attempt to balance Eastern culture with the evolution of ideas, science, human rights, gender justice, and modern European politics.
Historical sources, events, reactions, myths, and elements intertwined with the stereotypes of patriarchal/Balkan/Mediterranean tradition are explored, revealing the great injustice that has historically occurred by using the sexual difference between genders, the fact that women give birth and breastfeed, as an element of intellectual deprivation, inferiority, and exclusion from political power. However, under the beneficial influence of European values, the peaceful feminist revolution forced the political system to recognize gender equality as a value per se and to gradually but steadily proceed with overturns that strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law.