Constructing the meaning of representation: A grounded theory study on headscarved women and approaches to representation

In the past, headscarf debates in Turkey were predominantly shaped by political discourse; however, we observe that these debates continue despite changing social dynamics and the increasing diversity in women's lifestyles. The phenomenon of the headscarf has been studied and continues to be studied within these changing dynamics. However, rather than examining the headscarf in a particular context, it is more important to identify the elements that remain constant as contexts evolve. At this point, I identified the factor ensuring the continuity of headscarf debates as social representation. Although headscarf-wearing women do not attribute a fixed representational meaning to the headscarf, they are often discussed through various representational frameworks. These frameworks emerge as a reflection of social change in Turkey and the shaping of women who wear the headscarf in the social domain. On the other hand, these representational frameworks are not merely passive elements that subjects are exposed to. Subjects themselves actively transform the representational meaning of the headscarf. The aim of this thesis is to explore the representational approaches of headscarved women by examining how they perceive the meaning of the headscarf. To achieve this, a grounded theory design, a qualitative research method, has been applied. For this method, which is a medium-scale theory development, 21 semi-structured interviews have been conducted. Based on the categories of the current condition and the future outlook, distance and representation, two representational approaches have been conceptualized for headscarved women: the banner of representation and the burden of representation. Furthermore, concepts related to social distance have also been developed. The findings surrounding the two representational approaches developed have also been discussed within the conceptual and theoretical framework in which I analyze the headscarf agenda in Turkey and the construction of the social meaning of the headscarf. Accordingly, social structures and subjects play a dialectical role in the social construction of the headscarf. This, in turn, constitutes a foundational quality for the headscarf agenda and the literature developed in relation to it.