HELAL GIDA TÜKETİMİ MÜSLÜMAN GÖÇMENLER İÇİN DİNİ BAŞA ÇIKMA STRATEJİSİ OLABİLİR Mİ? ABD'DE YAŞAYAN MÜSLÜMAN TÜRKLER ÖRNEĞİ

Year 2025, Issue: 102, 392 - 415, 22.06.2025

Nihal İşbilen

https://doi.org/10.17753/sosekev.1602521

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde yaşayan Müslüman Türk bireylerin helal gıda tüketim alışkanlıklarının psikolojik işlevlerini araştırmaktadır. Araştırmanın amacı, helal gıda tüketiminin Müslüman Türk göçmenlerin yabancı kültürel bir ortamda karşılaştıkları potansiyel zorlukların üstesinden gelmedeki rolünü incelemektir. Araştırmada nitel bir metodoloji kullanılmış ve katılımcıların helal gıda tüketim alışkanlıklarına ilişkin deneyimlerine odaklanmak için fenomenolojik bir yaklaşım benimsenmiştir. Örneklem, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde ikamet eden ve çalışmaya gönüllü olarak katılmayı kabul eden 9 kadın ve 4 erkek olmak üzere 13 katılımcıdan oluşmaktadır. Katılımcılar bilinçli olarak farklı sosyo-ekonomik ve kültürel geçmişlerden seçilmiştir. Veri toplama sürecinde yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Görüşme soruları, helal gıda tüketim alışkanlıkları, dini değerler, kimlik oluşum süreçleri ve entegrasyon sürecinde karşılaşılan başa çıkma stratejilerini ele alacak şekilde tasarlanmıştır. Görüşmeler yüz yüze ve çevrimiçi olarak gerçekleştirilmiş, elde edilen veriler betimsel analitik tekniklerle analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada elde edilen bulgular, katılımcıların deneyimleri çerçevesinde, helal gıda tüketiminin, bireylerin dini ve kültürel paradigmalara dayalı bir bağ kurarak yalnızlık, yabancılaşma ve kültürel uyum zorluklarıyla başa çıkmalarında önemli bir başa çıkma mekanizması olarak hizmet ettiğini göstermektedir. Çalışmanın sonuçları, helal gıda tüketiminin salt dini bir yükümlülüğün ötesine geçerek göçmen olmaktan kaynaklı zorluklarla başa çıkmak için bir tür dini başa çıkma stratejisi işlevi gördüğünü ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, helal gıda tüketiminin katılımcıların yeni bir sosyal bağlamda kimliklerini pekiştirme ve sürdürme çabalarının bir tezahürü olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Sonuç olarak araştırma bulguları helal gıda tüketiminin bireylerin sadece dini pratiklerini yerine getirmelerine değil, aynı zamanda psikolojik dayanıklılıklarını ve kimliklerini koruma süreçlerine de olumlu katkı sağladığını vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

Din psikolojisi, Dini başa çıkma, Helal gıda, Dini kimlik, Göçmenler

Can Halal Food Consumption be a Religious Coping Strategy for Muslim Immigrants? The Case of Turkish Muslims Living in the USA

Abstract

This study investigates the psychological functions of halal food consumption habits among Muslim Turkish individuals living in the United States. The aim of the research is to examine the role of halal food consumption in helping Muslim Turkish immigrants overcome potential challenges they face in a foreign cultural environment. A qualitative methodology was employed, and a phenomenological approach was adopted to focus on participants' experiences regarding their halal food consumption habits. The sample consisted of 13 participants, including 9 women and 4 men, who reside in the United States and voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Participants were deliberately selected from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. A semi-structured interview technique was used during the data collection process. Interview questions were designed to address halal food consumption habits, religious values, identity formation processes, and coping strategies encountered during the integration process. The interviews were conducted face-to-face and online, and the data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analytical techniques. The findings of the study show that halal food consumption serves as an important coping mechanism for participants to deal with loneliness, alienation, and cultural adaptation difficulties by establishing a connection based on religious and cultural paradigms. The results of the study reveal that halal food consumption goes beyond a mere religious obligation and functions as a type of religious coping strategy to deal with the challenges of being a migrant. Additionally, it is understood that halal food consumption is a manifestation of participants' efforts to strengthen and maintain their identities in a new social context. In conclusion, the research findings emphasize that halal food consumption not only enables individuals to fulfill their religious practices but also contributes positively to their psychological resilience and identity preservation processes.

Keywords

Psychology of religion, Religious coping, Halal food, Religious identity, Immigrants

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