Browsing by Subject "gender"

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Open Access
Cumhuriyet öncesi kadın yazarların romanlarında toplumsal cinsiyet ve kimlik sorunsalı (1877-1923)
(2012) Günaydın, Ayşegül Utku
Womanhood and gender relationships have been one of the first questions taken up as the natural extension of the modernization paradigm between the declaration of the First Constitution and the Republic. Even though womanhood was declared to be a project, the fact that gender issues were never re-examined in a fundamental manner led to new problems vis-à-vis gender and identity. Opened up by the press, the new public sphere offered women the opportunity to discuss the woman question through articles and novels, and the most significant examples of inquiries concerning identity were expressed through one of the branches of traditional literature and through women‟s novels, a sub-genre that newly came into existence. The questioning of the oppressive mechanisms working on women and created by the responsibilities of the new female identity that went beyond the limits of the family, along with the male point of view floundering in face of this new identity, reflects a common female sensibility and sets forth the essence of this literature. The new female identity emphasizes rationality and the resilience of women, taking certain values of womanhood as its basis, and the female viewpoint is used to demonstrate the consequences of the dissonance between this “new” identity and the expectations of the male identity that represented the mindset of society in general, as personified by husbands, lovers, fathers, and relatives. The image of the isolated and struggling girl, who becomes more profound as she becomes more educated, is the symbol of the newly emerging intellectual woman of the Ottoman society. Opposite this woman in transition are the Ottoman men who are either already “impressed” or ready to be impressed. In short, the female novelists of the era express the need for a social transformation that would have to start at the very foundations of society and restructure the relationship between woman and man, i.e., sexual identities. In discussing the common themes, motifs, and sensibilities of women‟s novels, the dissertation examines the following works: Aşk-ı Vatan (1877) by Zafer Hanım; Muhâdarât (1892), Levâyih-i Hayât (1897-98), Refet, (1898), Udî (1899), and Enîn (1910) by Fatma Aliye Hanım; Uhuvvet (1895) by Selma Rıza Feraceli; Terbiye-i Etfale Ait Üç Hikâye (1895), Hiss-i Rekabet (1896), Bîkes (1897), Mükâfat-ı İlâhiye (1896), Sefalet (1897), Muallime (1899-1901), and Gayya Kuyusu (1920) by Emine Semiye Hanım; Dilharâb (1896-97) by Fatma Fahrünnisa Hanım; Münevver (1905- 06), Ölmüş Bir Kadının Evrak-ı Metrukesi (1905), Yaban Gülü (1920) and Nedret (1922) by Güzide Sabri Aygün; Heyûlâ (1908), Raik’in Annesi (1909), Seviyye Talip (1910), Handan (1912), Yeni Turan (1912), Son Eseri (1913) and Mev’ud Hüküm (1918) by Halide Edib; Şebab-ı Tebah (1911) by Nezihe Muhiddin; Aydemir (1918) by Müfide Ferit Tek; Kara Kitap (1920) by Suat Derviş and Sisli Geceler (1922) by Halide Nusret Zorlutuna.
Open Access
The grammar learning strategies employed by Turkish university preparatory school EFL students
(2008) Gürata, Ali
This study mainly investigated (a) which learning strategies Turkish EFL learners use when learning and using grammar structures, and (b) the difference in learning strategy use by several variables, such as gender, proficiency level, and achievement on grammar tests. The study was conducted at Middle East Technical University (METU), School of Foreign Languages, with the participation of 176 students from three different proficiency levels (pre-intermediate, intermediate, and upper-intermediate). The data were collected through a 35-item questionnaire regarding grammar learning strategies. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that Turkish EFL learners think learning English grammar is important, and that these learners use a variety of learning strategies when they learn and use grammar structures. The findings from this study also indicated that there is a difference in learning strategy use among different proficiency levels. Similarly, a significant difference was found between males and females in terms of their strategy use. Finally, the study showed that using grammar learning strategies is influential in grammar achievement.
Open Access
Murathan Mungan'ın çağdaş masallarında cinsiyetçi geleneğin eleştirisi
(2001) Dündar, Leyla Burcu
The Critique of Gender in Murathan Mungan’s Modern Tales Murathan Mungan (b. 1955), a prominent Turkish author of the late twentieth century, analyzes and interprets legends, myths, folk tales, and cultural archetypes of the East in his literary works. The links that Mungan establishes with traditional narratives intend to assess the cultural wealth of the land in which he lives. This specific orientation, which is one of the keystones of his understanding of art, helps us re-evaluate those patterns which have existed for ages in traditional works of culture. By examining cultural patterns evolving in time, Mungan succeeds in shedding light upon current social dynamics. In Mungan’s works, a gender-sensitive role-analysis come to prominence with respect to both the reader and the text. One of Mungan’s most noticeable themes is the question of “masculinity”. This recurrent theme offers Mungan various opportunities to question the role of society in imposing stereotypical gender roles on individuals. Patriarchal gender roles constrain the flourishing of individuals, inhibiting their creativity and freedom. Mungan’s works inhere powerful critiques of the patriarchal ideology of gender and its overt or covert influence over all aspects of life, ranging from politics to literature. Another significant theme in Mungan’s works is “loss of speech” or “diglossia”. It indicates a social handicap as well as an individual one, and provides us with multi-layered reading opportunities concerning individuals’ specific relationship with the language they use. Therefore, Mungan’s literary activity could be interpreted as giving a voice not only to one’s personal history but also to that of the east of Anatolia.
Open Access
Osmanlı şiirinin modernleşme sürecinde "kadın"ın doğuşu : Nigâr Hanım'ın şiirlerinde dişil söylem üretimi
(2011) Kurtuluş, Meriç
Nigâr bint-i ‗Osman (1862-1918) is the first female poet, who was influenced by movements of Western literature such as Romanticism and Sentimentalism. Poems of Nigâr Hanım were mostly analysed in the light of the aesthetic measures of Ottoman classical literature and Western literature. However, Nigâr Hanım may also be regarded as the first female poet who produces a feminine discourse by unveiling her female identity in the limits of gender roles. In this study, feminine discourse was discussed in Nigâr Hanım‘s poems. First of all, the whole texts of Nigâr Hanım was transliterated into the new alphabet except for her play called Tesir-i Aşk (Impression of Love) and diaries. Nigâr Hanım published three books collecting her lyrical poems which are Efsûs: Birinci Kısım (Alas! [First Part]), Efsûs: İkinci Kısım (Alas! [Second Part]) and Aks-i Seda (Echo of Voice). These texts are the primary sources of this thesis project. In the first part, the transformation of gender roles and social status of women in the nineteenth century Ottoman society and the views of various intellectuals were discussed. In the second part, the universality of postmodern feminist approaches, especially gynocriticism were questioned and a new, alternative approach was offered by searching feminine discourse in poems of Nigâr Hanım. Hence, poems of Nigâr Hanım were read comparatively with male poets writing during the same period, who are Recaizâde Mahmut Ekrem (1847- 1914), Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan (1852-1937), Celâl Sâhir (1883-1935) and Cenab ġahabeddin (1870-1934).
Open Access
Political manhood in 2000's Turkey : representations of different masculinities in politics
(2012) Akyüz, Selin
This dissertation mainly questions the constructions of different masculinities in politics in Turkey. It re-reads the different representations of political manhood with reference to the AKP, the CHP and the MHP between 2000 and 2008. In order to reveal the embeddedness of masculinities and politics, this dissertation analyzes not only gendered discourses of the given political parties but also their leaders, namely, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Deniz Baykal and Devlet Bahçeli. With the guidance of Pierre Bourdieu’s analytical tools, especially, on the basis of the congruent relation between habitus and the field, this dissertation questions different representations of masculinities and identifies typologies of masculinities, namely ; (1) Neo-Muslim, (2) Kemalist/Secular, and, (3) Nationalist. With reference to the patterns of masculinities in Turkish political culture, this study argues that the gendered nature of the politics, in general, political parties in particular, use and reproduce dominant masculinist strategies. In politics as a field, leaders experience the praxis of being man rather than their ideological engagements; leftist, rightist or Islamist.
Open Access
The role of native English speaking teachers in promoting intercultural sensitivity
(2014) Küllü-Sülü, Ayfer
This study investigated the role of native English speaking teachers (NESTs) in promoting intercultural sensitivity (IS), student ideas about the role of NESTs and non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) in terms of promoting IS and teaching target culture, and the effect of various other factors such as academic departments, gender, previous international experience, nationality, foreign languages and type of high school graduated from. The participants were 435 English preparatory class students from six different universities in Turkey, 196 being taught by only NNESTs while 239 being taught by both NESTs and NNESTs. A questionnaire was used to collect data which was composed of three parts: openended and multiple-choice questions to gather demographic information about the participants; an intercultural sensitivity scale, and a section with questions about the role of teachers in promoting IS. The analysis was done by grouping and comparing participants’ IS scores according to whether they were educated by NESTs or NNESTs, their academic departments, gender, previous international experience, nationality, foreign languages and high schools. Also, the participants’ ideas about NESTs and NNESTs in terms of their effects on students’ feelings about their own culture and other cultures, and teaching culture were investigated. The findings indicated that even if there is not a statistically significant difference between total IS scores of students educated by NESTs and NNESTs, students feel that NESTs have a more positive effect on students’ feelings towards other cultures. According to the findings, international experience and knowing a foreign language contribute to one’s interaction confidence. Also, male students scored higher in interaction confidence while female students scored higher in interaction attentiveness. It was also found that students think family is the most effective element in forming students’ opinions about other cultures. The study contributes to the existing literature by having studied IS level differences between students taught exclusively by NNESTs and those who have had exposure to NESTs. The study also contributes to the intercultural communication literature by investigating various factors such as academic departments, gender, previous international experience, and the number of foreign languages known, which may have an effect on students’ IS levels. Lastly, the present study offers some pedagogical implications that institutions teaching foreign languages, and language teachers (especially EFL teachers) can benefit from, and revise their culture teaching practices accordingly
Open Access
Türkiye masallarında toplumsal cinsiyet ve mekan ilişkisi
(2003) Ölçer, Evrim
Between folk tales and society there exists a complex relationship, the nature of which is understood in different ways from one dicipline to another. Furthermore, the apparent relationship of folk tales to society shifts acoording to whether one regards the folk tale as a record and reflection of society, as a normative influence on its reader or listener, or as a combination of both. Within the context of analysing tales as social records, the reflection of the cultural codes of the very society in which they live in, reveals the relation between literature and society. It has been long known that the customs of the society is continued and re-produced through the functions of oral phase (tradition). The gender roles are also based on the same traditional texture. Hence, in this thesis, 32 folk tales have been chosen and analyzed on the basis of gender and space. The spaces in folk tales are classified as private, intermediate and public and the way both men and women use those spaces, are analyzed on the basis of these categories. The ‘home’, the ‘window’ and ‘outside of home’ are used as exemplars of private, intermediate and public spaces respectively. The home, which forms almost the entire living space of women, supports the integrity of the family and therefore it must be defended. The relation between the window and the characters is read through the function of ‘virgin’s get out of home’ in order to institutionalize the family. On the other hand, the most important feature of the public space is that it belongs to men. Therefore, any woman, who gets out of home feels the need of purification and self-defense. Besides, in order to survive at outside without a man, a woman should be like a man, in other words, she should dress like a man. In folk tales, to the biological sex roles correspond to the gender roles of men and women and the hierarchical structure of the home is constructed accordingly. Thus, it can be said that the customs of the society are perpetuated and re-produced through the functions of tales as traditional oral literature.