Reporting Hijab in Turkey: Shifts in the Pro- and Anti-Ban Discourses

The hijab ban in Turkish universities has been in place since the late 1960s, although the enthusiasm with which the ban has been applied has varied according to political circumstances, and there have been unsuccessful efforts by conservative governments to lift the ban. The strategies of pro- and anti-ban media actors have also shifted with the political environment. The only consistent element in the pro- and anti-ban discourses in the media in the periods surrounding the critical junctures of the February 28, 1997 intervention and the 2002 elections was the word choice in favor of turban or headscarf in referring to the banned dress.