Gendered Turkishness in everyday Istanbul through Elif Shafak's and Orhan Pamuk's literature from an aesthetic, feminist, and sociocultural perspective

Abstract

This Comparative Literature dissertation delves into the portrayal of Turkish identity, particularly through the lens of gender, as depicted in the Elif Shafak’s and Orhan Pamuk’s contemporary novels. Through a multilayered analytical approach encompassing aesthetic, feminist, and socio-cultural frameworks, I investigate how Shafak and Pamuk illuminate notions of identity within Turkey by focusing on the intricate panorama of everyday life in Istanbul, and the distinctive experiences of men and women within the city. The chosen novels for this study include Istanbul: Memories and the City, A Strangeness in My Mind, The Black Book, and The Museum of Innocence from Orhan Pamuk, and The Bastard of Istanbul, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, The Flea Palace, and Three Daughters of Eve from Elif Shafak. Through a meticulous examination of these texts, in this dissertation I endeavor to uncover the unique literary approaches adopted by Shafak and Pamuk in reshaping the discourse surrounding Turkish identity. Central to this exploration is the recontextualization of mundane yet significant moments from everyday life in Istanbul, highlighting the gendered dimensions of perception, gaze, and bodily experiences.

My research underlines how these novels become an archive of complex vignettes that reflect the multifaceted nature of Turkish identity, where gender is represented to play a pivotal role in how identity is perceived. By delving into Istanbul’s historiographical narrative and using three distinct analytical angles – Istanbul as a metaphorical city, surrealist experimentation, and the conception of the Museum of Turkishness – I aim to explore the intricate interplay between gender and identity construction. Through a feminist lens, I examine how women navigate and experience the urban landscape differently from men, particularly through spectatorship and walking. This analysis indicates the pervasive influence of gender politics on identity formation within the urban environment. Furthermore, by analyzing the male gaze and its impact of female experiences, I argue for a nuanced understanding of Istanbul as a locus of negotiation between diverse gendered perspectives. Shafak’s and Pamuk’s narratives serve as a space for exploring hidden realities and sociocultural dynamics of Turkish society, including cultural memory, violence against women, explicit gender boundaries, transnational relations, religious fundamentalism, and the importance of recurrent figures such as street vendors and sex workers. These themes, woven intricately into the pages of the Turkish novel, evokes interesting reflections on the human condition and societal norms.

Central to this dissertation are several central inquires: How do Shafak and Pamuk define Gendered Turkishness in their novels? In what ways do these texts portray identity as inherently gendered? And how do seemingly mundane experiences in everyday life contribute to the construction of gendered-defined boundaries and perception of self? By shedding light on the significance of seemingly inconsequential details, my dissertation focalizes the profound impact of everyday experiences on the construction of gendered identities and the sense of belonging within the urban landscape of Istanbul.