Women and Tradition in Turkish Television Culture The Modern day representations of Rape and Pre-marital sexuality Master’s Thesis submitted to the department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, May 2013, for obtaining the Master’s Degree of Social Sciences in the field of Media and Communication Studies. Candidate: Melek Merve Mutlu Supervisor: Christian Christensen Acknowledgements I would firstly like to acknowledge my family if they hadn’t supported me through my struggles while writing this thesis I would not be able to make it through the writing process. Secondly I would like to thank, my dear classmates and friends in Uppsala who have been very supportive during my two years here in Sweden.Thank you Stéphanie Ratti, Charlemkwan Jiramonai and Milda Lokaityte. I would also like to thank my neighbours, friends, Melisa Elif Akgüder and Can Anıl for being so helpful and Kind and my housemates and family Maud and Mehmet Akgüder for opening their home to me. I would like to especially thank my professors at Uppsala University for making my master’s studies a great experience. I would also like to thank the authors that have made a contribution in writing this thesis. ii Abstract In this thesis, Women and Tradition in Turkish Television culture-The modern day representation of rape and pre-marital sexuality looks into how rape and pre-marital sexuality is represented under traditional gender roles. This is a cultural study that tries to understand the sexual identity of women trying to be represented on television series in Turkey. Two television serials “Fatmagülün Suçu Ne?” and “Hayat Devam Ediyor” are selected as case studies. The two main characters “Fatmagül” and “Hayat” are analyzed in both television serials. The main research question presented in the thesis, “With a particular focus on gender representation, how are the issues of rape and extra-marital sex addressed in the Turkish television serials “Hayat Devam diyor” and “Fatmagül’ün suçu ne?” The particular of representation of gender sexuality is in the traditional and social sphere. The theoretical framework is mainly based on theories based on “Feminism” with a focus on “Radical Feminism” and “Patriarchy”. The main methodological framework used is “critical discourse analysis”. The findings in the thesis through the analysis of episodes dealing with rape and pre-marital sexuality the representations of the main female characters are more negatively in their social spheres. They are excluded from society and represented as the second-class citizen. With this study my aim is to look into the relationship of representations of gender, which will bring more attention to the sensitive topics of oppression of gender sexuality and the representation through gendered realities in the television serials. iii Table of Contents 1-Introduction…………………………………………………………………….....…1 1.1-Research Question……………………………………………………………........3 1.2-The structure of the Thesis………………………………………………….......….3 1.3-The Significance of the Study………………………………………………......…4 2-Background…………………………………………………………………….........5 2.1-Broadcasting in National Television.....……………………………………….......5 2.2-Broadcasting in Turkish Television…………………………………………..........5 2.3-Development of Turkish Television serials…………………………………..........8 2.3.1-The Emergence of Television serials in Turkey…………………………........…8 2.3.2-Attributes of Television Serials Today……………………………………........13 2.4 -The Images of Women in Turkish Television Serials…………………….....…..16 2.4.1-An Outline on Female Characters of Today’s Prominent Turkish Television Serials…………………………………………………………………………….......23 2.4.1.1-Plot Summeries for “Fatamugülün Suçu Ne?”…………………………….....24 2.4.1.2-Plot Summeries for“Hayat Devam Ediyor”……………….............................25 3- Theory…………………………………………………………………………......27 3.1-Description of the Main Assumptions and Relevant Theories………………......27 3.1.1-Gender Roles……………………………………………………………....…..29 3.1.2-Understanding the basis of Feminism…………………………………….....…30 3.1.2.1-Defining Feminism as a term…………………………………………….......30 3.2- Definition of Radical Feminism…………………………………………............34 3.2.1-The Public and Private Divide…………………….…………………………...37 3.2.2- The Theory of Patriarchy ………..……………………………………....…....38 3.2.3 -Gender System Theory………..........................................................................39 3.2.3.1-The Pattern of Segregation …………………………………………….....….40 3.2.4-Theories regarding Equality/Difference....…………………………………….41 3.3- Gender Representation in the Media…………………………………………….44 3.3.1-Gender and Sexuality in the Media…………………………………………….46 3.4-Patriarchy in Feminism…………………………………………………………..47 3.4.1-Radical Feminism in Patriarchy ……………………………………………….48 3.5-Muted Group Theory………………………………………………………….....49 3.6-Conclusion…………………………………………………………………....….52 4-Methodology………………………………………………………………...…….55 iv 4.1-The Focus of the study..........................................................................................55 4.2- Content Analysis…………………………………………………………….....56 4.2.1-Critical Discourse Analysis………………………………………………..….57 4.3-The Description of the Data Collection Process……………………………..…58 4.3.1-The analytical methodology: Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis………………………………………………………………………………59 4.3.1.1 -First level of Analysis……………………………………………………….60 4.3.1.2 -Second Step Analysis…………………………………………………….....60 4.3.1.3-Third level of Analysis(In-Depth Analysis)…………………………………61 4.3.2 -The Presentation of the Data………………………………………………….62 4.4 -The Limitations of the methodology…………………………………………....62 4.5-The justification of Research Methodology……………………………………..63 5 -Analysis and Results……………………………………………………………...65 5.1-General Information about the Television Serials……………………………....65 5.1.1-The List of Characters in the television serials………………………………..66 5.1.2-General Attributes of the two main female characters: Fatmagül and Hayat………………………………………………………………………………. .69 5.2-Presentation of Critical Discourse Analysis…………………………………….71 5.2.1-Analysis of Fatmagülün Suçu Ne? ...................................................................71 5.2.2-Analysis of Hayat Devam Ediyor ………………………………………….…93 5.3- In-depth Analysis………………………………………………………………97 5.3.1-The Representation of Rape…………………………………………………. 97 5.3.2-Representation of Sexual Promiscuity…………………………………….….106 5.3.3-Issues brought up in “Hayat Devam Ediyor”……………………….……......108 5.4-Results of the Analysis………………………………………………………....109 5.4.1-Results for “Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne?”…………………………………….…..110 5.4.2-Results for “Hayat Devam Ediyor”……………………………………….….111 6-Conclusion……………….…………………………………………………….…112 7-Discussion…………...……………………………………………………….…...121 List of References…………………………………………………………………..122 List of Tables 5.1-General Information about the Television Serials (Table 1)………………….... 65 5.1.1-The List of Characters in the television serials: -Fatmagülün Suçu Ne (Table 2)………………………………………………......….67 v -Hayat Devam Ediyor (Table 3)……………………………………………….....…..68 5.1.2-General Attributes of the two main female characters: Fatmagül and Hayat (Table 4)……………………………………………………………………….......…70 Appendix: Appendix 1.1-Full dialogues from the television serial “Fatlmagülün Suçu Ne?” (What is Fatmagül’s Crime?).........................................................................126 Appendix 1.2: Full dialogues of the television serial “Hayat Devam Ediyor” (Life Goes On)........................................................................................................188 List of figures: Figure 1.1.........................................................................................................99 Figure 1.2.........................................................................................................102 Figure 1.3.........................................................................................................102 Figure 1.4.........................................................................................................103 Figure 1.5.........................................................................................................103 Figure 1.6.........................................................................................................104 Figure 1.7.........................................................................................................105 Figure 1.8.........................................................................................................107 Figure 1.9.........................................................................................................118 vi “In this society many youg girls and women go through tough situations. The things that she is going through are hurting her, battering her. In this painful story, the death of the old man that you are married too, may give you hope about marrying the young man that you love. Just when you say that you are happy, what you have been through is really strenuous” –Hayat Bakırcı’s opening scene quote from the 33rd Episode, the first episode of the second season of “Hayat Devam Ediyor” vii 1. Introduction The main focus of media research in Turkey is based on the assumptions that are formed through tools of mass media in relation to the portrayal of women (Pişkin, 2007). Researchers like Hülya Uğur Tanrıöver (2008) have focused on the format of women’s representation in mass media in Turkey. In this research Tanriöver along with Özlem Danacı Yüce, Barış Kara, Ceren Sözeri, Ece Vitrinel and Melda Soner have pointed out that in most Turkish television serials there is still the problem of gender stereotypes (Tanriöver et al. 2008, 113). With the ongoing research, the change in production values and the role of mass media tool plays an important role by emphasizing on the patriarchal values that is still prevalent in societies with strong traditional values like in Turkey where patriarchy is predominant (Pişkin, 2007). Gail Tuchman (1978) points out that in most societies the social heritage is passed on from one generation to another. The need “for continuity and transmission of dominate values may be particularly acute in times of rapid social change, such as our own. Then individuals need some familiarity with the past, if the society is to survive, but they must also prepare to meet changing conditions. Nowhere is that need as readily identifiable as in the area of gender roles” (Tuchman 1978, 3). Media is the transmitter of gender specified roles that is in accordance with the traditional partriarchal views even if there are changes in the circumstances of the society. These changes are the change in views and ideologies of a society also the development of technology but eventhough there are these changes there are some things like lifestyles that are kept intact that really seem out of context with the present. Television is a mass medium that has a role in creating images, signs, and myths. The most profitable television programming with the most viewers in commercial television broadcasting is domestic serials in Turkey. 1Domestic serials, which have re- shaped the television viewing cultural support “the dominant gender ideology” by emphasizing on certain codes that reflect patriarchal values while portraying women in certain types and this structure continues to be presented in an endless cycle. With the effects of domestic serials taken into account, we come across with a style of wording, 1 Dizi ekonomisi 1 milyon YTL’ye ulaştı” (The economy of television series has reached one million New Turkish Liras) -http://arama.hurriyet.com.tr/arsivnews.aspx?id=10039151-04.10.2008 accessed on 25.03.2013 1 where a women question their place in society is prevented. The place of television in our lives and effects on society are quite broad and a complex issue. 2 In Turkey especially in the modernization process women’s case in social life is often taken into consideration and the differences in the financial situation of women varies, as there is a difference between the ones that live in the urban and the rural areas. Especially in the in rural arease of eastern parts of Turkey, problems of women are quite different. In these areas problems, which stem from traditions and customs are imprisoned in a special kind of social-economic way of life. Even these kinds of traditions and customs catch the women who are living in big cities and who are originally from those rural areas. There are reports in the media reflecting upon women and their problems but mostly they are about murders, adultery, rage and honour killings in which women are the victims. In a great variety of popular discourses one can see there are distorted women’s images, which present women only as sexual beings. Though there are some exceptions, in movies and in TV series, women’s problems aren’t reflected genuinely; furthermore these have been disappearing gradually because of the characteristics of television serials. In popular discourses one can see the changing social roles of women, particularly who work and are involved in an economical process in big cities or in villages. But generally television serials and especially the serials which are related to the lives in the rural parts of Turkey, women and their problems are not taken as a main theme; in a patriarchal society traditional roles of women are to be supported eventhough they have small revolts against these traditions and customs. These traditional roles can be the ones that are part of the Turkish household in the rural areas. I will give a description of what these roles in the background. In this thesis, I will discuss the gender aspect of domestic television serials with a particular focus on rape and pre-marital sex, which are addressed in two Turkish television serials, which are still being broadcasted on two major television networks. “Fatmagülün Suçu ne?” (What is Fatmagül’s Crime) airs on Kanal D and “Hayat Devam Ediyor” (Life Goes On) airs on ATV. There have been a couple of studies 2 Television is an important mas medium where we still access our information from eventhough there is the internet television is there to show the news and then we access from another means of mass media. 2