Collection Highlights LGBT Literature of Turkey

One of the main responsibilities of Area Studies librarians is to build and maintain collections of books produced in and about a specific world region. Turkey is a country located in the Middle East region, and IU libraries is committed to collecting materials published in and about Turkey. To receive and collect vernacular material published in Turkey we primarily rely on Libra Books, our main book provider.

As is known, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic libraries is crucial, as it creates a welcoming and comfortable environment for users.  However, LGBT literature has historically been overlooked in the acquisition of Middle Eastern materials including Turkish publications and has been excluded from the approval agreements with local vendors. This is one of the main reasons that we have not paid special attention to LGBT literature, despite the fact gender-diverse characters and LGBT themes have been manifested in modern Turkish literature since the 1960s. 

In the fall of 2023, IU libraries’ administration announced a call for proposals to advance the diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) goals of IU Libraries’ collections. We contacted Libra Books, selected thirty titles from their extensive list of Turkish LGBT literature, and applied for funding to acquire them. The books in the collection are primarily published by two organizations in Turkey: the Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Organization (Kaos Gl), the oldest and largest LGBT rights organization in the country; and the Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), an LGBT organization based in Istanbul.

The selected books address various aspects of the LGBT issues in Turkey. Some of the books are written by gay authors. For example, the novel Bir eşcinselin sıradan hikayesi [The Ordinary Story of a Homosexual] by Devrim Yılmaz is a work of fiction that tells the author’s relationship and personal love story with his partner.

Some other books in the collection are related to the history of homosexuality. Eşcinselliğin Toplumsal Tarihi [Social History of Homosexuality] by Halit Erdem Oksaçan tells us the history of homosexuality in Turkey from ancient times until today.

Another book Osmanlı’da Oğlancılık [Sodomy in the Ottoman Empire] by Rıza Zelyut provides a historical overview of same-sex relationships in the Ottoman Empire based on primary sources.

The newly purchased books also include information about the experiences of transgender people in Turkey, as well as two books dealing with LGBTQ rights violations in the country.

IU Libraries is confident that this newly acquired collection makes a significant contribution to the Libraries’ DEI goals. The collection not only addresses LGBT issues but also provides information about Turkish culture and society. It can be used in various academic disciplines such as gender studies, sociology, anthropology, and more.