An Important Armenian Female Writer Prominent in the Ottoman Period: Srpuhi
Dussap
Y ld z Deveci Bozkuş
Introduction
Born in 1841 in Istanbul Ortaköy, Srpuhi Dussap is known as Սրբուհի Տիւսաբ by
Armenian name. Although, in some sources, 1840 has been noted as the date of birth of the
writer who is known as Srpouhi Dussap in English sources, 1841 was based on in many
sources (Շարուրյան, Ա. Ս. [Şaruran, A.S.] 1961). Surname of Dussap who is also known
with the word "There are more chasms on this road than laurel crowns", has also been noted
as Vahanyan in some sources. Dussap is also Ohannes Vahanyan's sister, who wrote the first
Armenian chemistry book and carried out important works in Chemistry in the Ottoman
period (Etker, Şeref 2012). Some researches also noted that Dussap's brother Ohannes
Vahanyan wrote obituaries (Etker, 2012). His mother Nazl Vahan (1814-1884) had an
extremely important and effective contribution in growth of Dussap as a writer who came
from a wealthy family (Victoria Rowe, 2003).
Image 1.tiff
Srpuhi Dussap (“Srpuhi Dussap the first feminist”, 2016)
Dussap's family becoming prominent as a distinguished and wealthy family in her period,
made a significant contribution for the writer to be familiar with Wester education, especially
French culture. Dussap's father is Sargis Vahanyan (Շարուրյան, Ա. Ս. [Şaruran, A.S.]
1961). Born in a Catholic family, Dussap involved in various activities on women's education
as well as her own education and cooperated with Armenian leading feminist women on the
opening of Hripsimyants School in 1859 (Esayan, Markar, 2010). Dussap lost her father
Sargis Vahanyan at a young age and was raised by her mother as the only girl in the family.
Dussap's mother Nazl Vahan came from a wealthy amira class in Armenian community
which attached great importance for girls to attend school. Nazl Vahan gave support in many
fields, especially education and assistance for women as well as her studies for girls to attend
school. She made an impression of "a mother away from the traditional femininity nature"
with Maral Aktokmakyan's expression (Aktokmakyan, Maral, 2009).
According to Aktokmakyan who noted that the writer had an idea on
social life at a tender age
and began to age out by obtaining certain values with the impact of her intellectual
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An Important Armenian Female Writer Prominent in
the Ottoman Period
environment due to the fact that the mother Nazl Vahan made a significant contribution in
growth of Dussap as a writer by raising her effectively and consciously, Dussap also
constituted a turning point in not only the progression of women's rights but also Armenian
literature and culture (Aktokmakyan, Maral, 2009).
Similarly to Aktokmakyan, Esayan who called attention to the role of studies made by
Armenian female writers in modernization of Armenia, also points out that there was a
consensus in a large part of the Armenian community on this point. According to Victoria
Rowe who pointed out that the roles of Armenian women entered into a process of change in
19th century, the education of Armenian intellectuals of the 19th century was seen as a key
for strengthening the Armenian nation. Therefore, in addition to the subjects such as
preservation of Armenian language and cultural traditions, the women's education was
adopted, due to the mothers' impact on children, as a basic need by Armenian intellectuals in
the development of a strong and modern Armenian nation (Ekmekçioğlu, Lerna –Bilal, 2006,
Esayan, 2010).
As is seen, the mother Nazl Vahan has the lion's share in the formation and shaping of
Dussap's intellectual world. Nazl Vahan's perspective on world also affected her daughter
Dussap's world and paved the way for her to proceed quickly on this way at an early age.
Dussap’s Life
When we look at the writer Dussap's life and works in general terms, it is understood that
there are several academic studies in the literature. The study entitled
Tribute to the first
Armenian feminist writer Serpouhi Dussap published in English in Beirut has an important
place among the said academic studies. Published in 2000 by Azadouhi Kalaidjian-Simonian,
this work has the characteristics of biography and is a short 30-page study addressing
Dussap's life (Simonian, A. Kalaidjian, 2000). Again, A. S. Sharourian's study entitled
Srpouhi Dussap - Her Life and Work published in Yerevan in 1963 is an important study
written in the Soviet era in the sense that it contains comprehensive information about
Dussap's life and works. Published in
Armenian State University, this study consists of 252
pages and it is seen that issues on how Armenian elite world has been integrated into Turkish
and European societies in the said period are included in this study (Arnavoudian, Eddie,
2003). It is pointed out that among the main topics focused by the said work, the rights of
women in social and political fields and the injustices they experienced in work, education
and marriage are in the focal point of Dussap's three works (Arnavoudian, 2003).
Nevertheless, it will be useful to mention here a few studies published in Turkey. Among the
studies about Dussap published in Turkey, the master's thesis themed
Charlotte Bronte and
Srpuhi Dussap prepared by Maral Aktokmakyan in Boğazici University is noteworthy in
particular. Dussap is called a Palimpsest writer in this study in which as a female writer
Dussap's literary strategies are addressed. Noted in her thesis that
the palimpsest method gives
the writer an opportunity to say/write the way she wants, thinks and believes, Aktokmakyan
states that this also prevents the masculine criticism and exclusion intended for female writer.
Compared the novels of Bront and Dussap as writers of 19th century, Aktokmakyan
emphasizes that both writers exhibited their works in accordance with the traditional fiction,
theme and literary rules. The writer points out that the most conspicuous feature of
Jane Eyre
and
Mayda novels is their similarities on destroying the compliance that they showed in sight
through similar fiction and theme alternatives they suggested. Writer also points out that the