Masculine states, feminine others: Postcolonial anxiety and gendered internal othering

Postcolonial studies often analyse how colonial histories, structures and imaginations shape the relational construction of the ‘Self’ and ‘Other,’ typically focusing on the unequal relationship between colonized and colonizer, which led to the devalorisation of the latter. Postcolonial feminism reveals how these constructions are gendered and how gender operates in determining global hierarchies. Drawing on postcolonial feminist scholarship, this article shifts the focus inward, arguing that not only postcolonial states but also states that were not officially colonized may construct gendered internal ‘Others’ to negotiate their ontological (in)securities, which are exacerbated by postcolonial anxieties. Using Turkey as a case study, it explores two critical periods: the early Republican era (1923–1949) and the AKP period (2003- present). Both eras, despite having different stances toward the West, operate in a postcolonial mentality through creating gendered internal others to manage their postcolonial anxieties and negotiate their ontological (in)securities.