Gender, rurality, and folk religiosity: A sociological analysis of the religiosity of women living in Doğanşehir

This study focuses on the folk beliefs and practices of women living in Doğanşehir and its surrounding rural areas. The primary aim of the research is to reveal how these women experience folk beliefs and practices across different layers and dimensions of life. In this context, the central research question revolves around how women internalize and engage with such beliefs and practices. Within the scope of this main problem, the study examines how women incorporate folk beliefs and practices both in their everyday lives and during exceptional periods such as rites of passage. Additionally, sub-questions address how rural life and gender roles intersect with these beliefs and practices, aiming to explore women's relationship with folk religion within a sociocultural framework. This research adopts a phenomenological approach within the scope of qualitative methodology, aligned with the study's objectives and questions. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five women living in Doğanşehir and nearby rural areas. The data collected through these interviews were analyzed manually by the researcher without the use of any software. The findings are presented under eight main themes, each accompanied by sub-categories and codes. According to the research findings, despite the prominent characteristics of modern living conditions, folk beliefs and practices continue to persist intensively. Nonetheless, it is evident that a transformation has been occurring at various levels. In this context, participant statements reveal that folk religious beliefs and practices reflect similar worldviews and values across different spheres of life, thereby functioning as a way of life. These beliefs and practices, maintained at both individual and societal levels, offer meanings and guiding frameworks that facilitate daily life through their functional qualities, and they create a holistic sphere of experience within individuals' social and spiritual worlds. Keywords: Folk religion, scriptural religion, folk culture, women, rural life.