The intersection of race and gender in Turkey can best be understood in the context of Turkey's ethnic diversity, the paradoxical construction of Turkish nationalism, and the state's official denial of non-Turkish identities within its borders. A well-known Turkish saying holds that “there are seventy-two-and-a-half peoples in Turkey.” The category “Turkish” thus masks a wide range of ethnic heritages, encompassing many people of Balkan, Anatolian, Caucasian, and Asian origin. In the context of …