The Impact of Patriarchal Structure on Gender Representation in Traditional Folk Dances

Pelin Elcik Yorgancıoğlu

Article Details

The Impact of Patriarchal Structure on Gender Representation in Traditional Folk Dances

Authors:

Pelin Elcik Yorgancıoğlu

Publisher:

Bursa Uludağ University

Main Topics:

Türkiye Sahası Türk Halk Bilimi | Cinsiyet Sosyolojisi

Journal:

Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.437-455

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

7/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001354793

pISSN:

2564-6834

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This study examines the impact of patriarchal structures on gender roles and how this influence is reflected in the modes of representation within traditional folk dances. Emphasizing that both patriarchy and gender are categories constructed through historical, cultural, and ideological processes, the study aims to explore the mediating role of folk dances in this construction. Based on the data, it is underscored that while the male body is glorified in the public sphere through representations of power, leadership, and bravery, the female body is restricted within the boundaries of privacy, grace, and obedience. The bodily performance of dance serves to reproduce these normative structures. The hegemonic male gaze is evaluated within the framework of patriarchy not only in its approach to women but also in its treatment of male bodies, behaviors, and modes of movement that do not conform to its own norms, as reflected in dance. The persistence of male hegemony has been documented not only in the creative and performative dimensions of tradition, but also across staging practices, and pedagogical frameworks. In this respect, folk dances are not merely aesthetic forms of expression, but also function as cultural practices in which gender ideologies shaped by patriarchal structures are continuously reproduced.

 This study examines the impact of patriarchal structures on gender roles and how this influence is reflected in the modes of representation within traditional folk dances. Emphasizing that both patriarchy and gender are categories constructed through historical, cultural, and ideological processes, the study aims to explore the mediating role of folk dances in this construction. Based on the data, it is underscored that while the male body is glorified in the public sphere through representations of power, leadership, and bravery, the female body is restricted within the boundaries of privacy, grace, and obedience. The bodily performance of dance serves to reproduce these normative structures. The hegemonic male gaze is evaluated within the framework of patriarchy not only in its approach to women but also in its treatment of male bodies, behaviors, and modes of movement that do not conform to its own norms, as reflected in dance. The persistence of male hegemony has been documented not only in the creative and performative dimensions of tradition, but also across staging practices, and pedagogical frameworks. In this respect, folk dances are not merely aesthetic forms of expression, but also function as cultural practices in which gender ideologies shaped by patriarchal structures are continuously reproduced.

 This study examines the impact of patriarchal structures on gender roles and how this influence is reflected in the modes of representation within traditional folk dances. Emphasizing that both patriarchy and gender are categories constructed through historical, cultural, and ideological processes, the study aims to explore the mediating role of folk dances in this construction. Based on the data, it is underscored that while the male body is glorified in the public sphere through representations of power, leadership, and bravery, the female body is restricted within the boundaries of privacy, grace, and obedience. The bodily performance of dance serves to reproduce these normative structures. The hegemonic male gaze is evaluated within the framework of patriarchy not only in its approach to women but also in its treatment of male bodies, behaviors, and modes of movement that do not conform to its own norms, as reflected in dance. The persistence of male hegemony has been documented not only in the creative and performative dimensions of tradition, but also across staging practices, and pedagogical frameworks. In this respect, folk dances are not merely aesthetic forms of expression, but also function as cultural practices in which gender ideologies shaped by patriarchal structures are continuously reproduced.

 Bu çalışma, ataerkil yapının toplumsal cinsiyet rollerine etkisini ve bu etkinin geleneksel halk danslarındaki temsiliyet biçimlerine nasıl yansıdığını incelemektedir. Çalışmada ataerkil yapı ve toplumsal cinsiyetin tarihsel, kültürel ve ideolojik temellerle inşa edilen bir kategori olduğu vurgulanarak, halk danslarının bu inşa sürecine nasıl aracılık ettiğinin ortaya konulması amaçlanmaktadır. Veriler ışığında erkek bedeninin kamusal alanda güç, liderlik ve cesaret temsilleriyle yüceltilirken; kadın bedeninin mahremiyet, zarafet ve itaat çerçevesinde sınırlandırılmasına vurgu yapılmakta ve dans ile bu normatif yapının bedensel performans üzerinden yeniden üretilmesine değinilmektedir. Hegemonik erkek bakışının sadece kadına yönelik değil kendi normlarına uymayan erkek beden, davranış ve hareket etme biçimlerine yaklaşımı ve dansa yansıması da ataerkil yaklaşım bağlamında değerlendirilmektedir. Gelenekteki yaratım ve icranın yanında; sahneleme pratikleri, dans pedagojisi gibi alanlarda da erkek egemenliğinin sürdüğü tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, halk dansları yalnızca estetik bir ifade biçimi değil, aynı zamanda ataerkil düzlemde gelişen toplumsal cinsiyet ideolojilerinin yeniden üretildiği kültürel bir pratik olarak değerlendirilmektedir.

Article Details

The Impact of Patriarchal Structure on Gender Representation in Traditional Folk Dances

Authors:

Pelin Elcik Yorgancıoğlu

Publisher:

Bursa Uludağ University

Main Topics:

Türkiye Sahası Türk Halk Bilimi | Cinsiyet Sosyolojisi

Journal:

Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.437-455

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

7/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001354793

pISSN:

2564-6834

gender

patriarchy

gender roles

traditional folk dances

dominationtoplumsal cinsiyet

ataerkillik

cinsiyet rolleri

geleneksel halk dansları

tahakküm

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Pelin Elcik Yorgancıoğlu

Publisher: Bursa Uludağ University

Main Topics: Türkiye Sahası Türk Halk Bilimi | Cinsiyet Sosyolojisi

Journal: Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.437-455

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 7/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001354793

pISSN: 2564-6834

Issues

Authors:

Pelin Elcik Yorgancıoğlu

Publisher:

Bursa Uludağ University

Main Topics:

Türkiye Sahası Türk Halk Bilimi | Cinsiyet Sosyolojisi

Journal:

Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.437-455

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

7/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001354793

pISSN:

2564-6834