From tradition to popular: Henna nights as a harem fantasy

Within the scope of this thesis, the relationship between the theme of harem, which is preferred in henna nights as a cultural practice, with the concepts of neo-Ottomanism and cultural hegemony, and how Hamamönü became the space of this ritual has been opened to discussion. In this context, the focus is on how harem-themed henna nights were invented in the neo-Ottoman narrative and how they were positioned in daily life. In this study, in which the context, performance and meaning of harem-themed henna nights are discussed, an answer to how cultural power is established in the simple and everyday is sought by following the literature of cultural hegemony and neo-Ottomanism. In addition, by concentrating on how harem-themed henna nights, which promise a stylized "Ottoman Dream", are interpreted in daily life, the realities that enable women to be articulated to this hegemonic structure are revealed.