Date of Award

2003

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Social Work

Keywords

Sociology, Individual and Family Studies.

Supervisor

Adam, B.

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

This ethnographic study analyses the discourses of twenty Turkish men who have sex with other men, aiming to make sense of discernable patternings in their most intimate lives. The research documents the meanings ascribed to same-sex behavior by various participants, and sheds light on how homosexual desire is structured by the existing gender structure in Turkish society as a whole. The broader social and sexual culture within which discourses around anal intercourse are articulated show connections between homosexuality and heterosexuality, masculinity and femininity, and eventually, sexual penetrability and receptivity---in which all categories reveal certain 'gendered' power relations. My attempts to get a feel for the experiences and circumstances in which each man constructs his own conception or re-conception of himself within labels such as aktif, pasif or 'gey ' as in the modern sense reveal Turkish men's lack of interest in 'queer theory'. My endeavour is to provide answers to the following crucial questions: 'What are the social forces that go into taking either the aktif, pasif, or gey social location?' and 'Why do some people feel content with these categories, while others feel constrained or resistant?' Ultimately, I argue that Stephen Murray's model on types of homosexualities informs my topic better than queer theory since he offers analytic tools more amenable to the complexities of same-sex experiences in Turkey. The respondents' own reflections on their engagements in anal coitus was decisive in drawing conclusions that indeed plural homosexualities exist, which entail plural meanings, all comprising intriguing gender dynamics with inherent implications regarding 'stratification'.Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2003 .B475. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, page: 0833. Adviser: Barry Adam. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2003.

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