Fatma Oya Aktas

Being a Conscientious Objector in Turkey: Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity in a Militaristic Nation-state Fatma Oya Aktas

Military service is obligatory for male-citizens and it is one of the most important components of hegemonic masculinity in the Turkish Republic. Conscription is used by the state to construct the citizen identity in the society. As a result it constructs hegemonic masculinity through militarism. However, militaries or militarization processes do not create only ideal citizens but they also create pacifists, rebels or conscientious objection which is directly related to conscription as a modern concept. This study claims that conscientious objection, refusal of the citizenship obligation, is a resistance to hegemonic masculinity, which is tightly related to militarist discourse.