Spatial traces of cultural construction: Gender codes in cemeteries

The concept of gender is a result of cultural construction. Space is also part of the construction process; it both produces and is influenced by what it produces. Language, which is an influential factor in the formation of cultural construction, plays a role in representing 'things' and establishing representation systems. Representation, by enabling interactions between meanings and language, generates meanings. Therefore, to understand the cultural characteristics of a region, it is necessary to comprehend the elements represented by the signs and symbols there, because the social characteristics of a place are only understandable through its cultural representations. Signs and codes within the space are transmitted through culture. Along with other cultural characteristics, especially religion, is a determining factor in the formation of cemeteries. Gravestones reflect the cultural structures of the society to which they belong. Understanding the motifs, inscriptions, and cultural signs represented in cemeteries is significant in this regard. Gravestones are a space where we can read social hierarchy, the representation of the body after death, and class differences. Accordingly, this study aims to uncover the elements through which everyday life practices are represented on gravestones and within cemeteries, as well as the underlying implicit meanings behind these representations. Additionally, it seeks to offer a new perspective by highlighting that cemeteries are constructed spaces beyond issues such as landscape and infrastructure. The research questions guiding this study are as follows: "How is gender represented on gravestones in Bursa's Hamitler Cemetery?" and "Through which representations are the practices and discourses of everyday life reflected onto gravestones and cemeteries?" The field of the study is the Bursa City (Hamitler) Cemetery. This is a qualitative research study. Out of the 201 sections located within the cemetery, some were excluded from the scope of the study based on its objectives, and 9 sections were selected through a random sampling method. From the 4,967 graves within these 9 sections, 743 gravestones were selected through purposive sampling and comprise the study's sample. The collected data were analyzed within the framework of thematic analysis, categorized into themes, and interpreted within the context of gender. In this regard, 14 themes were identified. In conclusion, it has been observed that the representations found in cemeteries reproduce gender inequalities. Cemeteries are significant spaces where representations of societal expressions concerning femininity and masculinity are made visible. In this regard, gravestones reveal implicit meanings through numerous forms of representation that signal gender inequalities and the status differences emerging within the context of gender. It has been observed that motherhood and self-sacrificing roles, which are naturalized through the female body, are produced on gravestones.