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SHE IS NOT PURE ANYMORE: THE PURITY CONCEPT IN Ö. ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ’S BLISS

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 61 - 83

Abstract

This article focuses on the concept of female purity in the context of honour killings by exploring Turkish writer Ö. Zülfü Livaneli’s third novel Mutluluk (2002) / Bliss (2007) and by addressing the ways in which the discourses of purity and impurity are constructed in the narration. The classification systems which label the main character, Meryem, as both dirty and pure are examined by focusing on Meryem’s childish and feminine purity as well as her perceived impurity. Also, the ways in which Meryem’s supposed sexual impurity stains the family's honour and ultimately leads to an honour killing attempt are investigated. Through an analysis of different constructions of purity in Bliss, it is argued that Meryem’s purity or impurity is a matter of perception and that varying discourses of purity determine whether she is pure or not. This reading of Bliss helps us to make sense of different constructions of social norms and expectations according to certain discourses of purity. This article argues that Bliss provides depth and nuance to our understanding of how the notion of purity operates in the context of honor killings, while also demonstrating how literature can be a valuable tool to enhance our understanding of social phenomena.

References

  • Ali, A. Y. (2004). The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an (10th ed.). Amana.
  • Ansell, N. (2005). Children, Youth and Development. In Routledge eBooks. Routledge.
  • Aras, S., Semin, S., Gunay, T., Orcin, E., & Ozan, S. (2007). Sexual Attitudes and Risk-Taking Behaviors of High School Students in Turkey. Journal of School Health, 77(7), 359–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00220.x
  • Bennett, L. R. (2005). Women, Islam and Modernity: Single Women, Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Contemporary Indonesia. RoutledgeCurzon.
  • Bukhari, & Jabir. (n.d.). Sahih Bukhari. In Sahih Bukhari (Vols. 7, Book 63, Number 195). Retrieved August 15, 2024, from http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_7_63.php
  • Butler, J. (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, 40(4), 519–538. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893
  • Cook, Lady. (1985). Woman’s Purity. In Bay of plentyTimes. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi- bin/paperspast?a=d&d=BOPT18950426.2.10&l=mi&e=-------10--1----2--
  • Çevirme, A. S., Çevirme, H., Karaoğlu, L., Uğurlu, N., & Korkmaz, Y. (2010). The perception of menarche and menstruation among Turkish married women: Attitudes, experiences, and behaviors. Social Behavior and Personality an International Journal, 38(3), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2010.38.3.381
  • Delaney, C. (1988). Mortal Flow: Menstruation in Turkish Village Society. In T. C. T. Buckley & A. Gottlieb (Eds.), Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation (pp. 77–94). University of California Press.
  • Douglas, M. (2002). Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. Routledge.
  • E. Stannard, D. (n.d.). Death and the Puritan Child on JSTOR. www.jstor.org. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2711885
  • Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish. Penguin.
  • Foucault, M. (2007). İktidarın gözü (I. Ergüden, Trans.). Ayrıntı.
  • Girard, R. (1989). Violence and the Sacred. In P. Gregory (Trans.), Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Göle, N. (2007). The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Veiling. The University of Michigan Press.
  • Gurgen, A. E. (2013). Bliss. Goodreads. Retrieved July 18, 2016, from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/762060658
  • Guterman, M. A., Mehta, P., & Gibbs, M. S. (2007). The Internet Journal of World Health and Societal Politics. The Internet Journal of World Health and Societal Politics, 5(2). https://ispub.com/IJWH/5/2/8213 Harrington, H. (2004). The Purity Texts. T & T Clark International.
  • Hurll, E. M. (2008). Child-Life in Art. John Wilson and Son. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25268/25268-h/25268-h.htm
  • İlkkaracan, P. (2008). How Adultery Almost Derailed Turkey’s Aspirations to Join the European Union. In P. İlkkaracan (Ed.), Deconstructing Sexuality In The Middle East: Challenges and Discourses (pp. 41–65). Ashgate.
  • Jones, O. (2000). Melting Geography: Purity, Disorder, Childhood and Space. In S. L. Holloway & G. Valentine (Eds.), Children’s Geographies: Playing, Living, Learning (pp. 29–48). Routledge.
  • Kalafat, Y. (2010). Doğu Anadolu’da Eski Türk İnançlarının İzleri. Ebabil.
  • Kehily, M. J. (2009). Understanding Childhood: An introduction to Some Key Themes and Issues. In M. J. Kehily (Ed.), An Introduction to Childhood Studies (2nd ed., pp. 1–17). Open University Press.
  • Kitzinger, J. (1988). Defending Innocence: Ideologies of Childhood. Feminist Review, 28(1), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1057/fr.1988.7
  • Kolatch, A. J. (1985). The Second Jewish Book of why. Jonathan David Publishers.
  • Letsch, C. (2011, November 4). Turkish Court Reduces Sentences For Men Accused Of Raping 13-Year-Old. Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2024, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/04/turkish-court-reduces-rape-sentences
  • Livaneli, O. (2007). Bliss. Thornike Press.
  • Livaneli, O. & Reading Group Gold Attachment. (2007). A conversation with O. Z. Livaneli. In Bliss. St. Martin’s Griffin.
  • McGrath, A. E. (2011). Christian Theology. Blackwell.
  • Mernissi, F. (1982). Virginity and patriarchy. Women S Studies International Forum, 5(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-5395(82)90026-7 Mernissi, F. (1987). Beyond the Veil, Revised Edition. Indiana University Press.
  • Mullaney, J. (2001). Like A Virgin: Temptation, Resistance, and the Construction of Identities Based on “Not Doings&qout;. Qualitative Sociology, 24(1), 3–24.
  • Mullaney, J. L. (2006). Everyone Is NOT Doing It. University of Chicago Press.
  • Namal, O. (2002, November 23). Tore Kurbani (N. Kara, Interviewer). Hurriyet. Retrieved July 28, 2016, from http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/tore-kurbani-5531754
  • O’Connell, B. J. (1997). The Pediatrician and The Sexually Active Adolescent: Treatment Of Common Menstrual Disorders. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 44(6), 1391–1404.
  • Oğuz, A. (Director). (2007). Mutluluk (Bliss) [Video]. ANS.
  • Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from https://www.oed.com/?tl=true
  • Purcell, C., & Arrigo, B. (2006). The Psychology of Lust Murder: Paraphilia, Sexual Killing, And Serial Homicide. Elsevier.
  • Saltik, B. (2016). Exploring honour killings through literature: an investigation of motivations for honour killings. [Doctoral Thesis, Lancaster University]. Lancaster University.
  • Saydut, E. (2009). Mutluluk Diye Önyargıları Pişirmek. Sanatlog.
  • Shalhoub-Kevorkian, N. (1999). The politics of disclosing female sexual abuse: a case study of Palestinian society. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23(12), 1275–1293. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0145-2134(99)00104-0
  • Shwartz, H. (2006). Narrative and Imagination: The Role of Texts and Story Telling in Nurturing Spirituality in Judaism. In K. M. Yust, A. N. Johnson, S. E. Sasso, & E. C. Roehlkepartain (Eds.), Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions (pp. 187–195). Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Stannard, D. E. (1974). Death and the Puritan Child. American Quarterly, 26(5), 456–476. https://doi.org/10.2307/2711885
  • Susanne. (2013). Bliss. Goodreads. Retrieved July 28, 2016, from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/395272691?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=2
  • Tahsincioglu, A. (2011). Namusun Halleri. Postiga.
  • Tokat, B., & Saluk, S. (2008). Akrabalık, Namus ve Aşk: Şiddetin Meşrulaştırılması Üzerine Bir Deneme. BÜ’de Kadın Gündemi, 14.
  • Vickroy, L. (2002). Trauma and Survival in Contemporary Fiction. University of Virginia Press.
  • Virginity. World English Historical Dictionary. (n.d.). https://wehd.com/101/Virginity.html
  • Yildirim, Y. (2006). Filling the Heart with the Love of God: Islamic Perspectives on Spirituality in Childhood and Adolescenc. In K. M. Yust, A. N. Johnson, S. E. Sasso, & E. C. Roehlkepartain (Eds.), Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions (pp. 69–80). Rowman & Littlefield.

O ARTIK SAF DEĞİL: O. ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ'NİN MUTLULUK ROMANINDA SAFLIK KAVRAMI

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 61 - 83

Abstract

Bu makale, Türk yazar O. Zülfü Livaneli’nin üçüncü romanı Mutluluk (2002) / Bliss (2007) üzerinden namus cinayetleri bağlamında kadın saflığı kavramına odaklanmakta ve anlatıda saflık ve kirlilik söylemlerinin nasıl inşa edildiğini ele almaktadır. Ana karakter Meryem’i hem kirli hem de saf olarak etiketleyen sınıflandırma sistemleri, Meryem’in çocuksu ve kadınsı saflığına ve algılanan kirliliğine odaklanılarak incelenmektedir. Ayrıca, Meryem’in varsayılan cinsel kirliliğinin aile onurunu nasıl lekelediği ve nihayetinde bir namus cinayetine teşebbüse nasıl yol açtığı araştırılmaktadır. Mutluluk’taki farklı saflık kurgularının analiziyle, Meryem’in saflığının ya da kirliliğinin bir algı meselesi olduğu ve değişen saflık söylemlerinin onun saf olup olmadığını belirlediği ileri sürülmektedir. Mutluluk’un bu okuması, belirli saflık söylemlerine göre toplumsal normların ve beklentilerin nasıl inşa edildiğini anlamamıza yardımcı olmaktadır. Bu makale, Mutluluk’un saflık kavramının namus cinayetleri bağlamında nasıl işlediğine dair anlayışımıza derinlik ve nüans kazandırırken aynı zamanda edebiyatın toplumsal olgulara dair anlayışımızı geliştirmede değerli bir araç olduğunu göstermektedir.

References

  • Ali, A. Y. (2004). The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an (10th ed.). Amana.
  • Ansell, N. (2005). Children, Youth and Development. In Routledge eBooks. Routledge.
  • Aras, S., Semin, S., Gunay, T., Orcin, E., & Ozan, S. (2007). Sexual Attitudes and Risk-Taking Behaviors of High School Students in Turkey. Journal of School Health, 77(7), 359–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00220.x
  • Bennett, L. R. (2005). Women, Islam and Modernity: Single Women, Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Contemporary Indonesia. RoutledgeCurzon.
  • Bukhari, & Jabir. (n.d.). Sahih Bukhari. In Sahih Bukhari (Vols. 7, Book 63, Number 195). Retrieved August 15, 2024, from http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_7_63.php
  • Butler, J. (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, 40(4), 519–538. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893
  • Cook, Lady. (1985). Woman’s Purity. In Bay of plentyTimes. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi- bin/paperspast?a=d&d=BOPT18950426.2.10&l=mi&e=-------10--1----2--
  • Çevirme, A. S., Çevirme, H., Karaoğlu, L., Uğurlu, N., & Korkmaz, Y. (2010). The perception of menarche and menstruation among Turkish married women: Attitudes, experiences, and behaviors. Social Behavior and Personality an International Journal, 38(3), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2010.38.3.381
  • Delaney, C. (1988). Mortal Flow: Menstruation in Turkish Village Society. In T. C. T. Buckley & A. Gottlieb (Eds.), Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation (pp. 77–94). University of California Press.
  • Douglas, M. (2002). Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. Routledge.
  • E. Stannard, D. (n.d.). Death and the Puritan Child on JSTOR. www.jstor.org. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2711885
  • Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish. Penguin.
  • Foucault, M. (2007). İktidarın gözü (I. Ergüden, Trans.). Ayrıntı.
  • Girard, R. (1989). Violence and the Sacred. In P. Gregory (Trans.), Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Göle, N. (2007). The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Veiling. The University of Michigan Press.
  • Gurgen, A. E. (2013). Bliss. Goodreads. Retrieved July 18, 2016, from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/762060658
  • Guterman, M. A., Mehta, P., & Gibbs, M. S. (2007). The Internet Journal of World Health and Societal Politics. The Internet Journal of World Health and Societal Politics, 5(2). https://ispub.com/IJWH/5/2/8213 Harrington, H. (2004). The Purity Texts. T & T Clark International.
  • Hurll, E. M. (2008). Child-Life in Art. John Wilson and Son. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25268/25268-h/25268-h.htm
  • İlkkaracan, P. (2008). How Adultery Almost Derailed Turkey’s Aspirations to Join the European Union. In P. İlkkaracan (Ed.), Deconstructing Sexuality In The Middle East: Challenges and Discourses (pp. 41–65). Ashgate.
  • Jones, O. (2000). Melting Geography: Purity, Disorder, Childhood and Space. In S. L. Holloway & G. Valentine (Eds.), Children’s Geographies: Playing, Living, Learning (pp. 29–48). Routledge.
  • Kalafat, Y. (2010). Doğu Anadolu’da Eski Türk İnançlarının İzleri. Ebabil.
  • Kehily, M. J. (2009). Understanding Childhood: An introduction to Some Key Themes and Issues. In M. J. Kehily (Ed.), An Introduction to Childhood Studies (2nd ed., pp. 1–17). Open University Press.
  • Kitzinger, J. (1988). Defending Innocence: Ideologies of Childhood. Feminist Review, 28(1), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1057/fr.1988.7
  • Kolatch, A. J. (1985). The Second Jewish Book of why. Jonathan David Publishers.
  • Letsch, C. (2011, November 4). Turkish Court Reduces Sentences For Men Accused Of Raping 13-Year-Old. Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2024, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/04/turkish-court-reduces-rape-sentences
  • Livaneli, O. (2007). Bliss. Thornike Press.
  • Livaneli, O. & Reading Group Gold Attachment. (2007). A conversation with O. Z. Livaneli. In Bliss. St. Martin’s Griffin.
  • McGrath, A. E. (2011). Christian Theology. Blackwell.
  • Mernissi, F. (1982). Virginity and patriarchy. Women S Studies International Forum, 5(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-5395(82)90026-7 Mernissi, F. (1987). Beyond the Veil, Revised Edition. Indiana University Press.
  • Mullaney, J. (2001). Like A Virgin: Temptation, Resistance, and the Construction of Identities Based on “Not Doings&qout;. Qualitative Sociology, 24(1), 3–24.
  • Mullaney, J. L. (2006). Everyone Is NOT Doing It. University of Chicago Press.
  • Namal, O. (2002, November 23). Tore Kurbani (N. Kara, Interviewer). Hurriyet. Retrieved July 28, 2016, from http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/tore-kurbani-5531754
  • O’Connell, B. J. (1997). The Pediatrician and The Sexually Active Adolescent: Treatment Of Common Menstrual Disorders. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 44(6), 1391–1404.
  • Oğuz, A. (Director). (2007). Mutluluk (Bliss) [Video]. ANS.
  • Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from https://www.oed.com/?tl=true
  • Purcell, C., & Arrigo, B. (2006). The Psychology of Lust Murder: Paraphilia, Sexual Killing, And Serial Homicide. Elsevier.
  • Saltik, B. (2016). Exploring honour killings through literature: an investigation of motivations for honour killings. [Doctoral Thesis, Lancaster University]. Lancaster University.
  • Saydut, E. (2009). Mutluluk Diye Önyargıları Pişirmek. Sanatlog.
  • Shalhoub-Kevorkian, N. (1999). The politics of disclosing female sexual abuse: a case study of Palestinian society. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23(12), 1275–1293. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0145-2134(99)00104-0
  • Shwartz, H. (2006). Narrative and Imagination: The Role of Texts and Story Telling in Nurturing Spirituality in Judaism. In K. M. Yust, A. N. Johnson, S. E. Sasso, & E. C. Roehlkepartain (Eds.), Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions (pp. 187–195). Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Stannard, D. E. (1974). Death and the Puritan Child. American Quarterly, 26(5), 456–476. https://doi.org/10.2307/2711885
  • Susanne. (2013). Bliss. Goodreads. Retrieved July 28, 2016, from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/395272691?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=2
  • Tahsincioglu, A. (2011). Namusun Halleri. Postiga.
  • Tokat, B., & Saluk, S. (2008). Akrabalık, Namus ve Aşk: Şiddetin Meşrulaştırılması Üzerine Bir Deneme. BÜ’de Kadın Gündemi, 14.
  • Vickroy, L. (2002). Trauma and Survival in Contemporary Fiction. University of Virginia Press.
  • Virginity. World English Historical Dictionary. (n.d.). https://wehd.com/101/Virginity.html
  • Yildirim, Y. (2006). Filling the Heart with the Love of God: Islamic Perspectives on Spirituality in Childhood and Adolescenc. In K. M. Yust, A. N. Johnson, S. E. Sasso, & E. C. Roehlkepartain (Eds.), Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions (pp. 69–80). Rowman & Littlefield.
There are 47 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Comparative Language Studies
Journal Section TOBİDER - International Journal of Social Sciences Volume 8 Issue 3
Authors

Berivan Saltık 0000-0003-0435-9910

Early Pub Date October 12, 2024
Publication Date
Submission Date August 20, 2024
Acceptance Date September 29, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Volume: 8 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Saltık, B. (2024). SHE IS NOT PURE ANYMORE: THE PURITY CONCEPT IN Ö. ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ’S BLISS. Uluslararası Toplumsal Bilimler Dergisi, 8(3), 61-83.