Publication: Navigating identity and belonging: an analysis of women’s self-representation and modes of subjection in the İskenderpaşa, İsmailağa, and Meşveret Communities
Abstract
Bu tez, İstanbul’daki İsmailağa, İskenderpaşa ve Meşveret cemaatlerin de kadınların öz-temsili ve Foucaultcu anlamda özneleşme biçimlerini incelemektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı, Türkiye’deki dini cemaatler içerisinde kadın kimliğinin nasıl oluştuğunu anlamak ve cemaatler arasında kadın kimliğinin oluşumunda herhangi bir fark olup olmadığını incelemektir. Bu çalışma, katılımcı gözlem, yarı yapılandırılmış mülakatlar, döküman analizi ve söylem analizi gibi farklı nitel yöntemleri kullanmaktadır. Araştırmanın ilk aşaması olan veri toplama süreci, ağırlıklı olarak bu cemaatlerdeki katılımcı gözlem ve 41 katılımcıyla gerçekleştirdiğim yarı yapılandırılmış mülakatlara dayanmaktadır. Katılımcıların 15’i İsmailağa ve Meşveret topluluklarından, 11’i ise İskenderpaşa topluluğundandır; katılımcıların yaşları 25 ile 65 arasında değişmektedir. Katılımcı gözlemler, topluluk üyeleriyle etkileşimlerimden ve sohbetler ile derslerin gözlemlenmesinden elde edilen verilere dayanmaktadır. Araştırmanın ikinci aşaması olan veri analizi sürecinde, söylem analizi yöntemi kullanılarak katılımcıların kendilerini tanımlamak için kullandıkları ortak ve tekrar eden temalar incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın teorik çerçevesi, Bourdieu’nün habitus, alan ve kültürel sermaye kavramlarını ve Sembolik Etkileşimcilik teorisini içermektedir. Sonuç olarak, bu araştırma, Türkiye’de cinsiyet çalışmaları ve din sosyolojisi literatürüne, üç dini topluluğun pratikleri üzerinden habitus ve benlik kavramlarını inceleyerek katkıda bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca, bu topluluklardaki kadın üyelerin kendilerini ve diğerlerini – sufi, dini ya da dindar olmayan kadınlar ve erkekler – nasıl algıladıklarına dair derinlemesine bir analiz sunarak tasavvuf antropolojisine de katkı sağlamaktadır.
This dissertation examines women’s identity formation and modes of subjection (in the Foucaultian sense) in the İsmailağa, İskenderpaşa, and Meşveret communities in Istanbul. The aim of this research is to understand how female identity is formed and whether there are any differences in women’s identity formation across religious communities in Turkey. In addition, several sub-questions aid in my analysis of the discursive strategies through which these women structure their self-representations and their various modes of subjection. The research employs different qualitative methods, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and discourse analysis. The first phase of this research, which involves data collection, primarily relies on my participant observation within these communities and the semi-structured interviews conducted with 41 participants – of these participants, 15 are from the İsmailağa and Meşveret communities, and 11 are from the İskenderpaşa community, with ages ranging from 25 to 65. Participant observation draws from my interaction with community members, as well as my observation of sohbets and lectures. In the second phase of my research, which focuses on data analysis, I utilize discourse analysis to examine the collected data for common and recurring themes that interviewees use to identify themselves. The theoretical framework incorporates Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and cultural capital, alongside Symbolic Interactionist theory. Finally, this research contributes to gender studies and the sociology of religion in Turkey by examining the conception of habitus and selves through the practices of the three religious communities. It also adds to the anthropology of Sufism through an in-depth analysis of how the female members of these communities perceive themselves and others – sufi, religious, and non-religious women and men.
This dissertation examines women’s identity formation and modes of subjection (in the Foucaultian sense) in the İsmailağa, İskenderpaşa, and Meşveret communities in Istanbul. The aim of this research is to understand how female identity is formed and whether there are any differences in women’s identity formation across religious communities in Turkey. In addition, several sub-questions aid in my analysis of the discursive strategies through which these women structure their self-representations and their various modes of subjection. The research employs different qualitative methods, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and discourse analysis. The first phase of this research, which involves data collection, primarily relies on my participant observation within these communities and the semi-structured interviews conducted with 41 participants – of these participants, 15 are from the İsmailağa and Meşveret communities, and 11 are from the İskenderpaşa community, with ages ranging from 25 to 65. Participant observation draws from my interaction with community members, as well as my observation of sohbets and lectures. In the second phase of my research, which focuses on data analysis, I utilize discourse analysis to examine the collected data for common and recurring themes that interviewees use to identify themselves. The theoretical framework incorporates Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and cultural capital, alongside Symbolic Interactionist theory. Finally, this research contributes to gender studies and the sociology of religion in Turkey by examining the conception of habitus and selves through the practices of the three religious communities. It also adds to the anthropology of Sufism through an in-depth analysis of how the female members of these communities perceive themselves and others – sufi, religious, and non-religious women and men.