Women’s Studies in Turkish Academia: Exploring Knowledge Production through Doctoral Dissertations
FWU Journal of Social Sciences, cilt.19, sa.4, ss.27-40, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 19 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.51709/19951272/winter2025/3
- Dergi Adı: FWU Journal of Social Sciences
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.27-40
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Feminist activism, gender roles, gender studies, thematic analysis, women's studies
- Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In this study, 33 dissertations conducted in women's studies doctoral programs in Turkey between 2018 and 2024, spanning from the earliest completed dissertation to the most recent with finalized data analysis, were thematically analyzed to systematically identify the prevailing trends, themes, and social issues addressed in the generation of feminist knowledge. Theoretically, the study is based on Haraway's concept of situated knowledge and feminist critique of knowledge. Methodologically, a qualitative research design based on document analysis was used, and the data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis, which was supported by MAXQDA software. The findings identified the following six main themes: "Feminist Activism and Empowerment," "Migration, Identity and Gender," "The Body, Health and Life Cycle Experiences," "Gender Roles and Masculinity," "Cultural, Familial and Ecological Representations," and "Everyday Life and Gender." These themes elucidate how feminist knowledge contributes to social transformation and its connection to contemporary debates regarding digitalization, care work, ecofeminism, and everyday life. The findings, which underscore the practical relevance of doctoral research and its academic contributions, emphasize the importance of women's studies doctoral programs in developing policies based on gender equality and provide a guiding framework for future research .