A Research on the Daily Life Experiences of Gypsy Women: The Case of Diyarbakır/Çermik

Gypsies are communities with unique characteristics living in different parts of the world. Gypsy languages, professions, different lifestyles, nomadic way of life and attitude towards life have been the subject of curiosity of the society in many ways. Gypsy groups called Aşık and Karaçi within the Dom groups, which are one of these communities, live mainly in the Southeast Anatolian region. They generally live on the outskirts of the settlements where they live. They try to make a living through professions such as drumming, dentistry, scrap metal trading and seasonal agricultural work. Gypsy groups, with their different, marginal, colourful personalities and clothing, are kept in the forefront, but they also face prejudice from society.This research was prepared to delve into the colourful worlds of Gypsy women living in Kala neighbourhood, one of the central neighbourhoods of Çermik district of Diyarbakır province, who identify themselves as Aşık and Karaçi in the Southeast Anatolian region within the Dom community rather than being described as Gypsies, and to explain their daily life experiences. In order to analyse the daily life practices of Aşık and Karaçi women from a sociological perspective, the phenomenological design of the qualitative research model was used to decipher the meaning worlds of Gypsy women. In this context, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 women living in the Kala neighbourhood of Çermik district using the purposive sampling method. The findings obtained from these interviews were subjected to descriptive analysis. The study found that some of the women did not consider themselves as Gypsies and some of them defined themselves as Ashik and some as Karachi. They were found to have some prejudice against the name Gypsy. In the questions asked to the participating women about their daily life, it was found that women have an important place in home and family life and that they have some duties and responsibilities like non-Gypsy women. Both the responsibilities and difficulties of being a woman and the problems caused by the stigma of ethnicity were examined together. As a result of the research, an attempt has been made to bring to light the everyday experiences and rituals of Aşık / Karaçi women and the difficulties they face. In this context, the exclusion they experience, some of the responsibilities and difficulties of being a woman are discussed within the perspective of everyday life.