This article examines the major political debates in post-Soviet Azerbaijan vis à vis the very assumptions of individual autonomy, equality, national culture and citizenship, and universalism upon which modern nation-states have historically been based. The information presented in this article is based on personal interviews conducted with the leading and influential members of the Azerbaijani political elite in 1998. The interviews were based on two broad themes. The first relates to the perceptions of the Soviet period and on what grounds the Azerbaijanis differentiate the new Republic of Azerbaijan from the former Soviet Azerbaijan. The second relates to their perceptions of both the outside world and themselves with regards to differing understandings of nationalism, national culture, and national/ethnic or local identities. The study of the Azerbaijani example of post-Soviet political culture may help us to understand the dynamics of nation-building on the basis of the major political debates and of conflicting national, ethnic and local identities in Azerbaijan.
This paper focuses on the professional women, who work in high status jobs, such as system analysts and computer programming, in Turkey. It aims to explain their high share in the sector and the various coping strategies employed by the women as a response to the demands of their work. The findings of the research illustrate that these women appear to be young, university graduates who were born and live in urban centres and who are demanded by the sector particularly for their high qualifications. On the other hand, these women work hard, postpone marriage or not marry at all. Those women, who are married, manage work without a radical redefinition of their marital roles. This research is relevant as empirical research has not been conducted with the women in this sector in Turkey. Further empirical work is now necessary in order to explain their working conditions in detail. Future research should also inquire whether this sector would open up new windows of opportunity for women.
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