Masculinity, Power, and Class Discourse in Yalı Çapkını: A Critical Media Analysis

Abstract

This study examines how hegemonic masculinity, class privilege, and gendered obedience are constructed and reproduced in the Turkish television series Yalı Çapkını through a multimodal critical discourse analysis. The research addresses the following question: How does Yalı Çapkını construct and maintain gender and class hierarchies through verbal, visual, and spatial discourse? Drawing on a gender-focused media perspective, the analysis investigates four episodes (2, 14, 27, and 40) selected for their thematic and discursive density. The findings reveal that male characters assert authority through direct commands, spatial centrality, and emotional restraint, while female characters are positioned through silence, indirect expression, and moral framing. Silence is found to function not only as a sign of submission but also as a limited form of resistance. The visual and spatial organization of scenes—such as character placement, camera framing, and domestic space—further reinforce patriarchal and class-based authority. The study contributes to critical media research by showing how gendered power is symbolically performed in popular television through communicative asymmetry and aesthetic strategies. By situating the analysis within the cultural and narrative context of Turkish media, the study offers both theoretical and methodological insights. Future research may benefit from including audience reception data, expanding intersectional analysis, or conducting cross-cultural comparisons to explore how these symbolic power structures resonate beyond national boundaries

Keywords

• Turkish TV Dramas
• Masculinity
• Class Discourse
• Gender Representation
• Critical Discourse Analysis

Yalı Çapkını Dizisinde Erkeklik, İktidar ve Sınıf Söylemi: Eleştirel Bir Medya Analizi

Öz

Bu çalışma, Yalı Çapkını adlı Türk televizyon dizisinde hegemonik erkeklik, sınıf ayrıcalığı ve toplumsal cinsiyet itaati söylemlerinin nasıl inşa edildiğini çok modlu eleştirel söylem analizi yöntemiyle incelemektedir. Araştırma, şu temel soruya yanıt aramaktadır: Yalı Çapkını dizisi, sözlü, görsel ve mekânsal söylemler yoluyla erkeklik, sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet rollerini nasıl inşa edip yeniden üretmektedir? Çalışmada toplumsal cinsiyetin medyadaki temsili, erkek egemen normlar, sembolik güç yapıları ve kadın karakterlerin sınırlı ajansları üzerinden analiz edilmiştir. Tematik ve söylemsel yoğunluğu yüksek dört bölüm (2, 14, 27 ve 40) üzerinden yapılan çözümleme, erkek karakterlerin otoriteyi doğrudan komutlar, fiziksel yerleşim üstünlüğü ve duygusal mesafe yoluyla kurduğunu göstermektedir. Kadın karakterlerin ise sessizlik, dolaylı ifade biçimleri ve ahlaki çerçevelemelerle temsili dikkat çekmektedir. Sessizlik yalnızca bastırma değil; aynı zamanda sınırlı bir direnç biçimi olarak da okunmaktadır. Çalışma, popüler medyada sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet temelli hiyerarşilerin nasıl meşrulaştırıldığını ortaya koymakta ve Türkiye bağlamında eleştirel medya çözümlemelerine kuramsal ve yöntemsel katkı sunmaktadır. Gelecek araştırmalarda izleyici alımları, kesişimsel temsiller ve kültürlerarası karşılaştırmalara yer verilmesi önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Türk Televizyon Dizileri
• Erkeklik
• Sınıf Söylemi
• Toplumsal Cinsiyet Temsili
• Eleştirel Söylem Analizi

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