The Line: Women, Partition and the Gender Order in Cyprus

by Cynthia Cockburn

As Cyprus prepares to join the European Union in 2004, the pressure is on to resolve the long-standing partition between the internationally accepted Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus and the still unrecognized Turkish Cypriot Republic of North Cyprus. Cypriot women on both sides of the Green Line have been involved in a remarkable bi-communal initiative, largely using the Internet, aimed at overcoming both communal segregation and the subordinate position of women. Their activities--as documented and contextualized in this book--add, for the first time, a gender dimension into our understanding of the split between the two communities. Cynthia Cockburn shows the effects of the Green Line on the lives and imaginations of those separated by it. She explores the parallels between gender hierarchy and political power relations, and her powerful photographs help bring to life the courage and initiative of the women involved.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004