Armenian Feminists: Hayganush Mark and Hay Gin

Dr. Lerna Ekmecioglu considers the history and lasting legacy of the Armenian women’s journal Hay Gin and its influential founder, Hayganush Mark. Hay Gin was one of the first feminist journals in post-Ottoman Turkey and the only one that survived the establishment of the Turkish Republic. One of the leaders of the Armenian women’s movement in post-World War I Istanbul, Mark was an ardent feminist whose unwavering commitment to women’s rights and dedication to Hay Gin continue to inspire generations of Armenian women.

Originally published March 2020.

About the speaker

Lerna Ekmekcioglu

Dr. Lerna Ekmekcioglu is the McMillan-Stewart Professor of History and Women and Gender Studies at MIT. Her books include a monograph titled Recovering Armenia: The Limits of Belonging in Post Genocide Turkey (Stanford University Press, 2016) and a co-edited volume titled A Cry for Justice: Five Armenian Feminist Writers from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic (in Turkish, Aras Yayincilik, 2005). Currently she is collaborating with Dr. Melissa Bilal on a book and documentary website project titled “Feminism in Armenian: An Interpretive Anthology and Digital Archive.”

Photo by M. Scott Brauer

Lerna Ekmekcioglu