عنوان

Islam, secularism and cultural conflict: How university students in Turkey negotiate collective identities across places

Number

TL49222

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Islam, secularism and cultural conflict: How university students in Turkey negotiate collective identities across places

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Jennifer Auerbach

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Miller-Idriss, Cynthia

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

New York University

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2017

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

288

Text of Note

Committee members: Erol, Sibel; Sirin, Selcuk

Text of Note

Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-369-53892-2

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Discipline of degree

Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions

Body granting the degree

New York University

Text preceding or following the note

2017

Text of Note

This dissertation addresses the culture wars related to Islam and secularism in Turkey. It details the everyday processes by which individuals negotiate collective identities through the deployment of cultural symbols, such as clothing and lifestyle choices, tied to the cultures of Islam and secularism. I argue that 'place' plays a mediating role in the negotiation of collective identities and examine this process for university students in Turkey focusing on how it varies across universities, different neighborhoods, and other establishments students encounter in their daily lives. Drawing from original survey data, I present background on how student identities, and thus university cultures, vary at three Istanbul-based universities and demonstrate the complexity and multiplicity of these identities, as not simply Islamic or secular. Then, drawing on interviews and participant observations, I explain how neighborhoods and establishments such as Starbucks are widely believed to have particular cultural orientations and symbolism in relation to the cultures of Islam and secularism. As such, university students' sense of belonging shifts across these places in relation to the gendered cultural symbols with which they represent themselves. This process plays a role in the policing of cultural territory as Islamic or secular. Yet, students employ creative means to alter their symbolic clothing and lifestyle choices in order to navigate different territories. Furthermore, I examine students' understanding of the university as symbolic of liberal culture and the ways students contend with their ideals surrounding liberalism in the process of negotiating identities related to Islam and secularism. I demonstrate the extent and limits of tolerance across the different universities by analyzing students' reported attitudes toward identity others and how their attitudes relate to the culture of liberalism at their university. Finally, this dissertation examines the context of university student protests and argues that how students interpret the rights-based issues involved in a protest evinces the extent and limits of how tolerant they may be and whether they may form social solidarities. This research demonstrates the nuanced mechanisms across places that inspire tolerance, a sense of belonging and social solidarities and what factors encourages intolerance, exclusion and social divisions.

Near Eastern Studies; Sociology; Higher education

Subject Term

Social sciences;Education;Islam;Religiosity;Secularism

Choudhary, Wajeeha Ameen

Miller-Idriss, Cynthia

Subdivision

Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions

New York University

Call Number

1871306247; 10253693

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y