’Wicked’ Istanbul: The Regulation of Prostitution in the Early Turkish Republic

Yirminci yüzyılın ilk yıllarında İstanbul beyaz kadın ticaretinin merkezlerinden biri olarak tanınıyordu. Bu araştırma erken Cumhuriyet döneminde fuhuşun İstanbul'da nasıl denetim altına alındığını incelemekte.It is little known that in the early twentieth century, Istanbul was internationally condemned as a center for prostitution and vilified for its role in the ?traffic in white women. Through an examination of Turkish and foreign newspapers, Turkish state documents, and the publications of domestic and international organizations, this study explores how the leaders of the newly founded Turkish Republic attempted to negotiate these critiques and how the Ottoman system of state regulated prostitution was transformed in the urban geographies of Istanbul in the 1920s and 1930s. Since studies of urban prostitution cross-cut a number of fields, this work will be a useful reference not only for scholars of Turkish history, but also for research on gender, sexuality, urban studies, and colonialism.