The European Journal of Humour Research

Vol 6, No 2 (2018)

Humor of the intimate: Female humor and women policies in Turkey

Şenay Yavuz Görkem

Abstract

This study focuses on the women policies of the Turkish government and the female humour that is created in response to these policies. A humour magazine is used as the main source since this specific magazine, which is named Bayan Yanı (The Seat Next to a Lady), has the privilege of being the only humour magazine created solely by female caricaturists and writers in Turkey. Six samples of female humour related to intimate matters are selected purposefully from 16 issues of this magazine published between January 2015 and June 2016 and analysed in content, tone, and function. The aim is to develop an understanding on female humour, especially the humour of the intimate, created to lead the public to question the effectiveness of political decisions and practices related to women policies.

References

Acar, Feride and Altunok, Gülbanu. 2013. The ‘Politics of Intimate’ at the Intersection of Neo-Liberalism and Neo-Conservatism in Contemporary Turkey. Women’s Studies International Forum 41, 14-23.

Arat, Yeşim. 2010. Religion, Politics and Gender Equality in Turkey: Implications of a Democratic Paradox. Third World Quarterly 31(6), 869-884.

Badarneh, A. Muhammad. 2011. Carnivalesque politics: A Bakhtinian case study of contemporary Arab political humor. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 24.3: 305-327.

Barnes, J. 1965. The Problems. The Journal of the College of General Practitioners, 9 (Suppl 1), 4.

Boxer, Diana and Cortés-Conde, Florencia. From Bonding to Biting: Conversational Joking and Identity Display. Journal of Pragmatics 27, 275-294.

Brodzinsky, M. David, Barnet, Karen and Aiello, R. John. Sex of Subject and Gender Identity as Factors in Humor Appreciation. Sex Roles 7(5). 561-573.

Buijzen, Moniek and Valkenburg, M. Patti. 2004. Developing a Typology of Humor in Audivisual Media. Media Psychology 6(2), 147-167.

Carlson, Marybeth. 2008. “Humour and Social Protest.” History: Review of New Books, 37:1, 34-35.

Coser, Rose. 1960. Laughter among Colleagues: A Study of Humor among the Staff of a Mental Hospital. Psychiatry, 23(1), 81-95

Coşar, Simten and Yeğenoğlu, Metin. New Grounds for Patriarchy in Turkey? Gender Policy in the Age of JDP. South European Society and Politics 16(4), 555-573.

Çitak, Zana and Tür, Özlem. Women between Tradition and Change: The Justice and Development Party Experience in Turkey. Middle Eastern Studies 44(3), 455-469.

Davies, Christie. 1998. Jokes and Their Relation to Society. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Engineer, A. Ali. 2008. Rights of Women in Islam. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers.

Greenbaum, Andrea. 1997. Women’s Comic Voices: The Art and Craft of Female Humor. American Studies 38(1), 117-138.

İlkkaracan, Pınar. 1998. Exploring the Context of Women’s Sexuality in Eastern Turkey. Reproductive Health Matters 6(12), 66-75.

Hamdan, Amani. 2005. Women and Education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Achievements. International Education Journal, 6(1), 42-64.

Hausmann, Ricardo, Tyson, D. Laura and Zahidi, Saadia. 2006. The Global Gender Gap Report 2006, http://www3. weforum. Org /docs /WEF _Gender Gap_Report_2006.pdf (accessed April 1, 2016)

Hassan, Riffat. 1995. Women’s Rights in Islam. From ICPD to Beijing, http:// riffathassan. info/ wp-content/ uploads/2014/03/ Womens_Rights_in _Islam_Normative_Teachings.pdf

(accessed 15 August 2016)

Hay, Jennifer. 1995. Gender and Humour: Beyond a Joke. Unpublished MA Thesis. New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington.

Herbert, W. Leslie., and Jarvis, F. V. 2013. Marriage Counseling in the Community: The Commonwealth and International Library: Problems and Progress in Human Development. UK: Pergamon.

İnce, H. Onur, Yaralı, Aysun and Özsel, Doğancan. 2009. Customary Killings in Turkey and Turkish Modernization. Middle Eastern Studies 45(4), 537-551.

Johnson, A. Michael. 1992. Language Ability and Sex Affect Humor Appreciation. Perceptual and Motor Skills 75, 571-581.

Kasap, Tuğçe. 2013. Women’s Wombs as a “Biopolitical Space” in the Context of Biopolitics of Abortion in Turkey. Unpublished MA Thesis. Budapest: Central European University.

Kaya, Ayhan. 2015. Islamisation of Turkey under the JDP Rule: Empowering Family, Faith and Charity. South European Society and Politics 20(1), 47-69.

Kaya, Sedat. 2016. When did you become a woman? http://www.haberhurriyeti.com/siz-ne-zaman-kadin-oldunuz-ahlaksizlar-168728.html (accessed 22 August 2016).

Kotthoff, Helga. 2006. Gender and Humor: The State of the Art. Journal of Pragmatics 38, 4-25.

Köklü, Gizem. 2015. Unbelievable Fatwas about Women. http:// trend. mynet.com/kadinlarla-ilgili-inanilmaz-fetvalar-1043400 (accessed 15 August 2016).

Onar, Nora, F. and Müftüler-Baç, Meltem. 2011. The Adultery and Headscarf Debates in Turkey: Fusing “EU-niversal” and “Alternative” Modernities?. Women’s Studies International Forum 34, 378-389.

Oran, Baskın. 2015. Who Abated Özgecan’s Murderer. http://www.radikal.com.tr/ yazarlar/baskin-oran/ozgecanin-katilini-kim-azmettirdi-1297238/ (accessed 15 August 2016).

Penn, Gemma. 2000. “Semiotic Analysis of Still Images.” In Qualitative Researching with Text, Image and Sound, eds. Bauer, W Martin, and George Gaskell. London: Sage Publications. 227-245.

Perks, Lisa. (2012). The Ancient Roots of Humor Theory. Humor, 25(2), 119-132.

http://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/com_facpub/8 (accessed 22 August 2016)

Sebeok, T. Albert, and Marcel Danesi. 2000. The Forms of Meaning: Modeling Systems Theory and Semiotic Analysis. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

Tolunay, Özlem, 2014. Women in Erdoğan’s Turkey. http://newpol.org/content/women-erdoğan’s-turkey http://newpol.org/content/women-erdoğan’s-turkey (accessed 16 August 2016).

Tsakona, Villy, and Popa, D. Elena. 2011. Humour in Politics and the Politics of Humour: An Introduction. In V. Tsakona & D. E. Popa (eds.), Studies in Political Humor: In between Political Critique and Public Entertainment. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1-30.

Turam, Berna. 2008. Turkish Women Divided by Politics. International Feminist Journal of Politics 10(4), 475-494.

Unal, Didem and Cindoğlu, Dilek. 2013. Reproductive Citizenship in Turkey: Abortion Chronicles. Women’s Studies International Forum 38, 21-31.

Veatch, C. Thomas. 1998. A Theory of Humor. Humor 11(2), 161-215.

Weinberger, Marc and Gulas, S. Charles. 1992. The Impact of Humor in Advertising: A Review. Journal of Advertising 21(4), 35-59.

World Economic Forum. The Global Gender Gap Report 2015, accessed April 1, 2016,

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GGGR2015/cover.pdf

Yıldız, Ezgi. A Discourse that Fuels Violence: AKP and the Culture of Permissiveness Toward Violence against Women in Turkey. 2015.http://www.criticatac.ro/lefteast/a-discourse-that-fuels-violence/ (accessed 16 August 2016).

Ali Bulaç: Women-Men Equality Will Be the End of the Generation. 2013. http://nediyor.com /ali-bulac-kadin-erkek-esitligi-neslin-sonu-olur/ (accessed 15 August 2016).

Bayan Yanı Humor Magazine, 2015 January, 38, ISSN: 2146-1384

Bayan Yanı Humor Magazine, 2015 March, 40, ISSN: 2146-1384

Bayan Yanı Humor Magazine, 2016 January, 49, ISSN: 2146-1384

Bayan Yanı Humor Magazine, 2016 May, 53, ISSN: 2146-1384

Bayan Yanı Humor Magazine, 2016 June, 54, ISSN: 2146-1384

Defense for Sexual Abuse to a Child: Our Prophet Had Similar Marriages. 2013. http:// t24. com.tr/haber/cocuga-cinsel-istismar-savunmasi-peygamberimizin-benzer-evlilikleri-var,239152 (accessed 15 August 2016).

Erdoğan’s Singer: Women are Disposed to Belong to Men. 2015. https://www.evrensel. net/ haber/109990/erdoganin-sarkicisi-kadinin-fitrati-erkege-ait-olmaktir (accessed 15 August 2016).

From the Directorate of Religious Affairs to Engaged Couples: Do not Hold Hands, Just Speak. 2015. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/diyanetten-nisanli-ciftlere-el-ele-tutusmayin-sadece-konusun-28199592 (accessed 23 August 2016).

Honor Abatements Open the Way to New Women Murders. 2014. http://www.diken.com.tr /tahrik-indirimi-yeni-kadin-cinayetlerine-davetiye-cikariyor/ (accessed 15 August 2016).

“Let them boil over with rage for mini skirt and décolleté” 2015. http://www.milliyet.com.tr/-varsin-onlar-inadina-dekolte/siyaset/detay/2019249/default.htm (accessed 15 August 2016).