Browsing by Subject "identity of place"

The rise of the political Islam has been affecting every sphere of life in Turkey during the last decade. The policies of the Turkish government and the discourses of the current Turkish president, Erdoğan aim to control the female participation in public space. However, the change in gender roles in space does not always evolve simultaneously with the political trend. This situation can be seen among the female artisans and artists of the Samanpazarı district of Ankara. Women are the main social actors who transform the area with the participation in the district and with the work they do. This thesis analyzes the everyday life of the female artisans and artists in the Samanpazarı district of Ankara, Turkey. The data was collected during a period of three months of ethnographic fieldwork. Different methods were used during this period. Participant observation and interviews were the main methods. In addition to these, gender map was sketched to understand the gendered use of space. The historical background of the area was also investigated. The aim of the thesis is to examine how female artisans and artists started to participate and to create businesses in the abandoned trading center of Ankara. The thesis also aims to investigate the period after female artisans moved in the district, because this is the period during which the area has gained a new identity and, the social and economic relations have changed. The main result of this thesis is that women used traditional craft skills and the history of the area to create a space for themselves and to participate in Samanpazarı. After they moved in, they started to gain more control in the area through the social and economic relations they created.