Armenian Heritage and Memory Beyond the Borders Armenian Heritage and Memory Beyond the Borders | Page 5

Srpouhi Dussap (1840-
1901, İstanbul) was the
first Armenian novelist.
She wrote 3 novels
which were about the
emancipation of women
from the societal norms
and moral double
standards. She took a
very vital position for
Tibrotsaser Hayuhyats
İngerutyun (Union of
Friends for Education
of Armenian Women)
working for educating the girls and training them to become teachers in
the Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Dussap is also a very
important figure for Zabel Yesayan. Dussap entirely inspires Yesayan.
Yesayan narrates how she regards Dussap in her piece as an Armenian
women intellectual and writer fighting against patriarchy and gender
inequality. Dussap explains the dimension of gender inequality and
male-dominance in writing by saying “A man can be a mediocre writer
but a woman can’t be!"
“Prejudice and laws have already put significant burdens on the
position of women in society. We also add to these burdens by
increasing poverty and the number of benefactors. Poverty pushes
people from hardship to hardship and weakens the moral force of the
poor by turning them into amorphous beings; benefactors hinder this
moral force and offer slaves to society. Rational beings reach their true
selves through the use of their moral and intellectual capacities. For
example, when a woman works, provides for herself, and does not owe
anything to others, she is perfectly free to think freely, work freely, and
speak freely without succumbing to self-serving, outside influences.
This woman, of course, feels that she is conforming to the purpose of
nature, enjoying the freedom she created for herself, and elevating
her social position. Only then can she prove to society that a woman is
not a morally and intellectually weak creature; only then can she prove
that this presumption is wrong, and that it is in fact the sad result of the
hindered existence of women, their idleness and incomplete education
as well as laws, customs, and prejudices. Today, prominent figures are
protesting against this offensive notion on behalf of women.