PARTIARCHAL DISCOURSES, POLIGAMOUS LIVES: THE SYRIANS LIVING IN ANTAKYA


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Eraslan A.

Turkish Studies - Social Sciences , cilt.14, sa.5, ss.2157-2177, 2019 (Hakemli Dergi) identifier

Özet

The aim of this article is to understand and analyze the behaviorsand attitudes of Syrian women under temporary protection of Turkeytowards polygyny. Recent studies in Turkish cities on south-easternborder present the discomfort felt by the local women about Syrians.Local women stated that Syrian women affected their spouses and inrelation with this, there was an increase in divorces and polygyny. Inorder to analyze the situation in these communities, in-depth interviewswere held with 20 Syrian women in Antakya and Antakya Red CrescentCenter between December 2018 and February 2019. Given that eachsociety has developed different ways of adapting to life within theframework of its unique socio-cultural and economic conditions, womenwho experience everyday life differently are likely to develop differentstrategies to cope with the challenges they face.Even though personalcare and giving importance to looking beautiful is expressed as culturalidentity by Syrian women when analyzed in detail this tendencysignalizes an area that is created constantly through patriarchaldiscourses. The transmitter, controller, judge of this area, which iscreated constantly through a masculine point of view, is women. Inconclusion Syrian women do not tolerate polygyny and develop strategiesto cope with this problem. Cultural codes stated by women in the study,such as giving effort to look well-groomed and beautiful under anycircumstances, spoiling the husband determine the position of women insociety and also support patriarchy. Because against a threat of a “cowife” prioritize all the wishes of husbands and continuously work to‘satisfy’ males under any circumstances.